(Postmatch interview)
CLAREMONT, Calif. – In the semifinals of the NCAA Division
III Men's Tennis Championships, the top ranked
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team fought their way to a 5-2
victory over #3 Middlebury on May 20 at the Biszantz Family Tennis
Center. Middlebury is now 21-4 and plays Trinity on May 21 at
10:00 a.m. in the third place match. CMS improves to 30-1 on the
season and advances to the NCAA Division III Championship match for
the second straight year in a row where they will face #2
Amherst.
CMS took the doubles advantage for the 29th time in thirty
matches this season as top pair Joe Dorn and
Warren
Wood were 8-5 winners over Middlebury's Alex Johnston
and Andrew Lebovitz. The next two doubles results were
determined on successive points at #2 and #3, as CMS'
Skyler
Butts and Neel
Kotrappa lost a tough 9-7 decision at No. 2 doubles,
but Nik Marino and Zhenya
Pereverzin defeated Middlebury's Peter Heidrich and
Ari Smolyar by the same 9-7 score at No. 3 doubles, to give CMS the
2-1 advantage heading into singles.
Middlebury wasted no time in seizing back the momentum of the
dual match by winning four of six first sets. Then, after more than
ninety minutes of singles play, Alex Johnston leveled the match at
two-all with his straight set win over CMS' Warren Wood at
#1. Middlebury's optimism would prove to be fleeting however,
as Marino put the Stags back on top with his three-set win at #3
over Palmer Campbell.
At #4 singles, Butts had to fight back from a set and 4-5 down,
before winning the last three games of the second set. Butts then
gained a service break advantage early in the third, before finding
himself again serving to stay in the match at 4-5. With a partisan
crowd fervently encouraging his every move, Butts saved two match
points at 4-5 and then went on to break and then serve out the
match for the Stags' fourth point. Meanwhile, senior captain
Pereverzin had just begun a decisive tie-break in the third at #6,
while Dorn and freshman Daniel Morkovine were early in third
sets at #2 and #5 respectively. For the second consecutive match,
it was Pereverzin clinching with an impressive 7-2 tie-break
win.
CMS advances to the championship match for the eighth time in
program history and will be looking to grab the program's second
overall national championship. CMS last won an NCAA title in
1981.
#1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. #3
Middlebury (2)
May 20, 2014 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center) -
NCAA Team Championship Semifinals
Doubles
1. Joe Dorn / Warren Wood (CMS) def. Alex Johnston / Andrew
Lebovitz (Middlebury) 8-5
2. Brantner Jones / Palmer Campbell (Middlebury) def. Neel
Kotrappa / Skyler
Butts (CMS) 9-7
3. Nik Marino / Zhenya Pereverzin (CMS) def. Peter Heidrich / Ari
Smolyar (Middlebury) 9-7
Singles
1. Alex Johnston (Middlebury) def. Warren Wood (CMS) 6-3, 6-4
2. Joe Dorn (CMS) vs. Brantner Jones (Middlebury) 2-6, 7-6(5), 4-3
DNF
3. Nik Marino (CMS) def. Palmer Campbell (Middlebury) 6-3, 1-6,
6-2
4. Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Ari Smolyar (Middlebury) 1-6, 7-5,
7-5
5. Daniel Morkovine (CMS) vs. Courtney Mountifield (Middlebury)
5-7, 6-3, 0-3 DNF
6. Zhenya Pereverzin (CMS) def. Jackson Frons (Middlebury) 7-5,
4-6, 7-6(2)
Order of
completion
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 1, 3, 4, 6
