Stags Edge No. 4 Chicago in a Thriller, Advance to ITA National Team Indoor Championship Match

SAINT PETER, Minn - The No. 2-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team advanced to the championship match of the ITA Division III National Team Indoors with a 5-4 win over No. 4 Chicago on Saturday. Seniors Nikolai Parodi and Daniel Park, and junior Jack Katzman had wins in doubles and singles to lead the Stags to their second championship match in their last two appearances at ITA National Indoors. CMS will face No. 1 Emory, in a rematch of the 2019 NCAA team championship. The Stags lost to the Eagles 5-4 in the final of the 2018 ITA National Team Indoors.

CMS came within two points of a doubles sweep against the Maroons, with No. 3 pair Park and Nic Meister winning easily, and No. 2 team Katzman and Robert Liu earning their fourth straight victory. At the No. 1 position, Parodi and first year Ian Freer took a 5-3 advantage in the tie-breaker before Chicago answered with three straight points and a match point at 6-5. A Freer service winner got the Stags even, before Chicago won the final two points to secure the victory.

With a 2-1 CMS lead after the doubles, Parodi was first to strike for the cardinal and gold in singles. Parodi's 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 gave the Stags a 3-1 advantage. Chicago then answered at No. 5 with a straight set win of their own to narrow CMS' lead to 3-2, before Park completed his second 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles in as many days. With a 4-2 lead, CMS needed just one win at either No. 2, 3, or 4. Freer fought from a set down at No. 4 but was unable to convert on three break points at 5-all in the second, and Chicago's Jeremy Yuan completed a 6-3, 7-5 win for the Maroons' third point. At No. 2, Katzman had won a tough 7-5 first set, even though Chicago's Erik Kerrigan had served for the set at 5-4. Katzman then fell behind 3-1 in the second before winning four straight games and bringing his team to the brink of victory. Kerrigan then saved three match points with Katzman serving for the match, and eventually broke Katzman's serve to give Chicago new life.

Meanwhile on court 3, Meister fought valiantly, but trailed Chicago's Sachin Das 5-4 in the deciding set as Katzman prepared to receive serve on his fifth match point. When Kerrigan's second serve landed just long, Katzman and the Stags began their muted celebration, having knocked off the tournament's defending champions.

CMS is seeking its first ITA Division III National Team Indoor Championship in five appearances, having finished 6th in 2005, 2nd in 2007, 3rd in 2009, and 2nd in 2018.

#2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. #4 Chicago (4)
February 22, 2020 at Saint Peter, MN (Swanson Tennis Center - Gustavus Adolphus College - ITA Division III National Team Indoors Semifinals)

Doubles
1. Erik Kerrigan / Jeremy Yuan def. Nikolai Parodi / Ian Freer (CMS) 8-7(6)
2. Jack Katzman / Robert Liu (CMS) def. Sachin Das / Joshua Xu (Chicago) 8-6
3. Nic Meister / Daniel Park (CMS) def. Julius Kim / Tyler Raclin (Chicago) 8-2

Singles
1. Nikolai Parodi (CMS) def. Joshua Xu (Chicago) 6-2, 6-4
2. Jack Katzman (CMS) def. Erik Kerrigan (Chicago) 7-5, 6-4
3. Sachin Das (Chicago) def. Nic Meister (CMS) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
4. Jeremy Yuan (Chicago) def. Ian Freer (CMS) 6-3, 7-5
5. Alex Guzhva (Chicago) def. Robert Liu (CMS) 6-4, 6-1
6. Daniel Park (CMS) def. Alejandro Rodriguez (Chicago) 6-2, 6-3

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