On to the Semis: Stags Down No. 12 Case Western at ITA National Indoors

SAINT PETER, Minn - The No. 2-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Division III National Team Indoors with a 6-3 win over No. 12 Case Western Reserve on Friday. Senior captain Nikolai Parodi, junior Jack Katzman, and first year Ian Freer all had wins in singles and doubles to lead the Stags.

CMS trailed at all three doubles positions, battling back from 4-0 and two service breaks down at No. 1, and then 5-3, 40-0 at No. 2, to win both matches. Parodi and Freer found themselves down 0-4 before winning five straight games to take their first lead. The Stags' top pair earned their seventh win on the season by breaking serve at 5-6 and then again at 6-7, defeating the previously undefeated No. 1 team of James Hopper and Matthew Chen. At No. 2 doubles, Katzman and Robert Liu also had to come from behind in order to win their seventh match together. Trailing 5-3, 40-0, Katzman and Liu broke back to get on serve, and then broke again at 6-all before serving out the match.

With a 2-1 lead after the doubles, CMS won first sets at four of six singles positions. Katzman, Freer, and Daniel Park took commanding leads at Nos. 2, 4, and 6, while Parodi, Meister, and Liu faced formidable competition at Nos. 1, 3, and 5. Katzman completed his masterpiece at No. 2 by blanking Chen in under an hour, putting the Stags up 3-1. Freer continued his return of serve wizardry, breaking in the final game for a routine 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4. Park earned the clinch at No. 6 by winning the final three games of his match.

After tough losses at No. 3 and No. 5, CMS held a 5-3 lead with two of Division III's finest going head-to-head at the top singles spot. In a match filled with lead changes and spectacular shot making from both Parodi and Hopper, the Stag No. 1 ultimately prevailed in an epic 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) thriller. Parodi had earlier failed to serve out the match at 5-3 in the deciding set, but saved his best tennis for the final four points of the tie-break for a 7-5 victory.

CMS will take on No. 4 Chicago in the semifinals on Saturday at 8:30 AM CST.

#2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (6) vs. #12 Case Western Reserve (3)
February 21, 2020 at Saint Peter, MN (Swanson Tennis Center - Gustavus Adolphus College - ITA Division III National Team Indoors 1st Round)

Doubles
1. Nikolai Parodi / Ian Freer (CMS) def. Matthew Chen / James Hopper (CWRU) 8-6
2. Jack Katzman / Robert Liu def. Zach Hennessey / Jon Powell (CWRU) 8-6
3. Neil Mabee / Anthony Kanam (CWRU) def. Jake Berber / Daniel Park (CMS) 8-5

Singles
1. Nikolai Parodi (CMS) def. James Hopper (CWRU) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5)
2. Jack Katzman (CMS) def. Matthew Chen (CWRU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Aaron Umen (CWRU) def. Nic Meister (CMS) 6-7(4), 6-3, 1-0(6)
4. Ian Freer (CMS) def. Anthony Kanam (CWRU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Chaitanya Aduru (CWRU) def. Robert Liu (CMS) 6-2, 7-6(4)
6. Daniel Park (CMS) def. Max Vicario (CWRU) 6-2, 6-4

Order of completion
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 2, 4, 6, 3, 5, 1