CLAREMONT, Calif. -- Middlebury advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinals via a 5-1 victory against Case Western Reserve in a quarterfinal contest. The match was played outdoors at Claremont-M-S’ Biszantz Family Tennis Center. The Panthers (21-3) move on to the semifinals for the first time since 2010, and will play top-ranked Claremont at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Middlebury swept all three points during doubles action. Peter Heidrich and Ari Smolyar started things off with an 8-2 win at No. 3 versus Louis Stuerke and James Fojtasek. The Panther duo of Brantner Jones and Palmer Campbell grabbed an 8-3 victory at No. 2 against John Healey and Derek Reinbold.
In the top flight, Alex Johnston and Andrew Lebovitz battled back from a 4-1 deficit against the Spartan tandem of Christopher Krimbill and Eric Klawitter, tying the contest at 6-6. The two teams went back and forth during the next four games, as the match was deadlocked at 8-8. In the tiebreaker, Johnston and Lebovitz picked up the third point via a 7-5 count.In singles, Reinbold got the Spartans (17-8) on the board with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 against Smolyar. Ahead by a 3-1 tally, Middlebury secured the match with wins in the Nos. 6 and 1 spots, respectively. Jackson Frons picked up a 6-4, 6-2 win against Healey at the bottom of the lineup, while Johnston clinched the match with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph against Krimbill in the top flight.
