MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Middlebury advanced to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals thanks in part to a 5-2 victory against Williams in a regional final contest played outdoors at Middlebury’s Proctor Courts. The Panthers (20-3) will travel to in Claremont, California and take on the winner of a regional final match on Sunday between Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon. Williams ends its season with a 16-7 mark.
Middlebury’s Alex Johnston and Andrew Lebovitz earned the lone Panther point in doubles, recording an 8-3 victory against Matt Micheli and Conrad Harron. The other two doubles points went in favor of the Ephs via identical 8-6 scores. At No. 3, Brian Astrachan and Alex Schidovsky edged the Middlebury duo of Peter Heidrich and Ari Smolyar, while the tandem of Jose Raventos and Rohan Shastri squeezed past Brantner Jones and Palmer Campbell.
Down 2-1 entering singles, the hosts grabbed all four individual matches that were finished. Jones was the first to finish at No. 2, cruising past Harron by 6-1, 6-4 scores. Smolyar gave Middlebury the lead for good with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory against Schidovsky at No. 4. Just minutes later, Campbell gave the Panthers a 4-2 advantage thanks to a 7-5, 6-2 victory against Shastri. At No. 5, Courtney Mountifield secured the team’s fifth point with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Howard Weiss.
