Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

Whitewater, Wis. – Despite jumping out to a 2-1 lead after doubles, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team could not keep a surging Trinity University team at bay in singles.  The Tigers earned four unanswered points in singles to give them a 5-2 victory over the Gusties in the third round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament on Sunday at Wangerin Courts.  With the Whitewater Region Championship under its belt, Trinity (20-9) advances to Kalamazoo, Mich. – the site of the 2013 NCAA Championship Series.  Gustavus concludes its season with an overall record of 22-10.

The Gusties were on the scoreboard first with a victory at No. 1 doubles.  Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.) kicked things off with a tightly-contested, back-and-forth 8-6 victory over Erick DelaFuente and Jordan Mayer.

Trinity answered with a win at No. 3 doubles when Greg Haugen and Connor Dunn defeated Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Motasem Al-Houni (Tripoli, Libya) 8-5.

Gustavus earned the final point of doubles play when Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.) and Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) edged Aaron Skinner and Nicolas Moreno.  The two pairs battled from start to finish but in the end it was Johnson and Leisner coming out with the final doubles point after a 9-8 win following a 5-0 sweep in the tie-breaker.

The momentum took a turn in singles play as Trinity registered four straight points with wins at the No. 2, 3, 4, and 5 positions.

Jordan Mayer brought the score to even at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) at No. 5.  Greg Haugen then earned a victory over Grant Leisner at No. 3 to put the Tigers on top for the first time in the match.  Haugen defeated Leisner 6-2, 6-4.

Erick DelaFuente extended the Trinity lead to 4-2 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Juan Luis Chu (Jr., Lima Peru) at No. 4, and Nicolas Moreno brought the match to an end with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Mya Smith-Dennis at No. 2.

Trinity University will now face Williams in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 20 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Box Score

Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

Elkhorn, Wis. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with a 5-3 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday afternoon at the Four Lakes Athletic Club.  The Warhawks took two of three points in doubles, yet Gustavus rebounded with the fourth points needed to earn a decision in singles.  The Gusties improve to 22-9 overall, while UW-Whitewater finishes its season 19-11.  The match was moved indoors and away from the UW-Whitewater campus because ofinclement weather

Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.) got Gustavus going with a win at No. 1 doubles to start the afternoon.  The pair clicked early and carried the momentum to an 8-1 win over Mitch Osborne and Ben Shklyar.

UW-Whitewater bounced back with a win at No. 2 doubles to tie the match at 1-1.  Warhawks Andrew Bayliss and Andy McGlashen jumped out to a 6-1 lead then held on for an 8-2 victory over Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.) and Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.).

The final point of doubles went to UW-Whitewater, as Gustavus found itself trailing 2-1 for the first time since April 13 against Augustana (S.D.).  Jake Humphreys and Byron Balkin defeated Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Motasem Al-Houni (Tripoli, Libya) 8-5 to send the match into the singles competition.

“Today was absolutely a thrilling match.  Whitewater played extremely well from start to finish and showed a lot of skill and will.  They played excellent doubles, and they are a fantastic team and group of competitors,” said head coach Tommy Valentini of the doubles play.  ”We are extremely fortunate to come away with a win today and to advance to the next round.  Without a doubt, this match could have gone either way.”

In singles play, Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) tied the match at 2-2 with a win at the No. 5 position.  MacGibbon cruised to a straight set win by the score of 6-4, 6-1 over Andrew Bayliss to give the Gusties a much-needed lift.

Following MacGibbon’s win, Ben Shklyar earned what would prove to be the Warhawks’ only point in singles with a 7-6 (9-0), 6-4 win over Amrik Donkena at No. 1.  With Shkylar’s win, UW-Whitewater took the lead back with the score 3-2.

From there, the Gusties came roaring back to take three straight matches and achieve the five points needed to advance to the next round.  Despite losing the first set 7-5, Gustavus’s No. 3 competitor, Grant Leisner, rallied by winning the last two sets by the scores of 6-3 and 6-1.  Leisner’s win over Andy McGlashen brought the match back to even at 3-3.

Brad Entwistle gave the lead back to Gustavus with a victory at No. 6.  Entwistle also lost the first set but rebounded with a 6-3 win in the second and a 6-3 win in the third to put the Gusties on top 4-3.

Mya Smith-Dennis completed the run with a three-set win over Byron Balkin at the No. 2 position.  Smith-Dennis won the first set 6-3, lost the second 6-4, and then took the match with a 7-5 win in the final frame.  Trailing 4-5 in the third set, Smith-Dennis came roaring back to take three straight games and seal the win for the Black at Gold with the score of 5-3.

“Coming out of the 1-2 hole in doubles, our guys showed incredible composure,” mentioned Valentini of his team’s persistence.  ”They maintained it throughout a number of momentum swings and third sets in the singles. Joey MacGibbon got us to level early in the singles and gave our team a huge boost.  From there every single match was a battle.”

“We trusted each other and pulled each other through,” he continued.  ”With their backs against the wall on countless occasions our guys continued to trust and believe.  I’m very proud of their effort, poise, and guts.  We’re going to cherish this moment and do our best to prepare for a match against an excellent Trinity team tomorrow.”

With the victory, Gustavus advances to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season.  The Gusties will now take on Trinity University at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday at Wangerin Courts with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.

Box Score

Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater. Photo courtesy of Tom Fick - UW-Whitewater Sports Information Director.

St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team is set to face the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, May 11 at 12:00 p.m.  Gustavus, who received the No. 2 seed in the Whitewater, Wis. regional, earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament by way of an 8-1 victory over Carleton in the MIAC Playoff Championship last Saturday.

Action at the Whitewater region will begin on Friday, May 10 with Ohio Northern (18-4) taking on Concordia University (16-9) at 1:00 p.m.  The winner of that match will face the No. 1 seeded Trinity University (18-9) at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.  The two second round winners will advance to the region final set to begin at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.

This will be the second straight year that Gustavus and UW-Whitewater have met in the NCAA Tournament, as last season’s regional was also held at Wangerin Courts on the campus of UW-Whitewater.  The Gusties went on to advance to the third round with a 5-0 win over the Warhawks.  The two teams met earlier this season on March 9 in St. Peter.  Gustavus took two of three points in doubles before earning four more points in singles on the way to a 6-3 win.

With an overall record of 22-9, Gustavus is making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  The Gusties have compiled an all-time record of 45-30 in NCAA Tournament play.

Head Coach Tommy Valentini, who holds a record of 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament, will likely go with the same lineup that won a third straight MIAC Playoff title last weekend.  Pairing up in doubles will be Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.), Grant Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) and Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.), and Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.).

Donkena and Smith-Dennis are ranked second in the central region with an overall record of 18-8.  Johnson and Leisner have reached the 20-win mark and come in with a record of 21-9, while Entwistle and MacGibbon are 11-8.

In singles play, Donkena, Smith-Dennis, Leisner, Juan Luis Chu (Jr., Lima, Peru), MacGibbon, and Entwistle are the probable starters in Valentini’s top six.  Donkena and Smith-Dennis are both ranked in the central at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.  Amrik is 12-10 overall, and Mya holds a record of 19-12.  Rounding out the remainder of the lineup, Leisner is 15-10, Chu is 14-12, MacGibbon is 15-10, and Entwistle is 16-8.

The UW-Whitewater sports information department has set up a tournament website that features the tournament bracket, travel information, and links to live stats and match recaps.  In the event of inclement weather, matches will be moved to the Four Lake Athletic Club located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

St. Peter, Minn. – A total of six Gustavus men’s tennis players have been honored in the 2013 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tennis Awards released Wednesday by the MIAC.  Earning a place on the All-Conference Singles Team was Marcel Gyswyt (Jr., Golden Valley, Minn.), Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.), Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.), and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.).  Gusties being named to the All-Conference Doubles Team included Leisner, Smith-Dennis, Motasem Al-Houni (So., Tripoli, Libya), and Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.).

Grant Leisner

Marcel Gyswyt

The Gustavus men’s tennis team finished the 9-0 in the MIAC, securing its 25th consecutive MIAC Championship.  The Gusties then defeated Saint John’s 5-0 and Carleton 8-1 on the way to an MIAC Playoff Championship, earning the league’s automatic berth into the 2013 NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament.  Gustavus recorded its second straight 20-win season under Head Coach Tommy Valentini and will now go into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 22-9.

Junior Marcel Gyswyt makes his first appearance on the All-Conference Team.  Gyswyt finished the year with a 4-0 record against MIAC opponents, winning four straight singles matches in straight sets against Macalester, Hamline, Saint John’s, and Concordia.

Junior Grant Leisner earns All-MIAC honors in singles and doubles for the first time in his career as well.  Displaying versatility throughout the season, Leisner logged matches at the No. 2, 3, and 4 singles spots.  The junior went 4-0 against MIAC foes and is currently 15-10 on the year.

Tyler Johnson

Joey MacGibbon

Teaming up with Leisner in doubles was Tyler Johnson, who earns a place on the All-Conference Doubles Team for the first time.  Johnson, a three-time All-Conference performer in singles, went 5-0 in league play alongside Leisner at the No. 2 position.  Overall, Johnson and Leisner are a combined 21-9.  The senior was also named the MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week on Feb. 19 after not losing a single point in three straight matches over one weekend.

Joey MacGibbon makes his second consecutive appearance on the All-Conference singles team after taking home the honor as a sophomore last season.  MacGibbon went 5-0 against MIAC foes and is currently 15-10 overall.

Rounding out the group of Gusties earning All-MIAC accolades for their play in singles was Mya Smith-Dennis.  The Gustavus April Student-Athlete-of-the-Month and two-time MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week garners the honor in singles and doubles for the second consecutive season.  Smith-Dennis went 5-0 in singles and 6-0 in doubles against league competitors.  Recently selected to the NCAA Doubles Tournament alongside partner Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.), Smith-Dennis heads to the NCAA Regional at 19-12 overall and 21-8 in the MIAC.

Motasem Al-Houni

Mya Smith-Dennis

Rounding out the list of All-Conference performers for Gustavus was Motasem Al-Houni.  In his second year in the program, Al-Houni achieves All-Conference marks in doubles after an unbeaten sophomore campaign.  Playing beside Juan Luis Chu (Lima, Peru) for three matches and Brad Entwistle (Sioux Falls, S.D.) for another three, the sophomore went 6-0 in league play.  He is currently 14-5 in doubles this season.

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for men’s tennis.  Gustavus’s representative on this year’s team is senior Tyler Johnson.  Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

MIAC Release

Indianapolis - The NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Committee has selected the individuals who will compete in the singles and doubles competition of the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships.  Among the list of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams are Gustavus Adolphus tennis players Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.).  Donkena has earned a spot in the singles tournament, while he and Smith-Dennis will compete together in the doubles draw.

Making his fourth and final appearance in the NCAA Singles Championship Tournament, Amrik Donkena carries a record of 12-10 overall and is ranked No. 8 in the central region.

Together as a doubles team, Donkena and Smith-Dennis are making their second consecutive showing in the NCAA Doubles Tournament.  Last season the duo made a run all the way to the the championship match where they fell to Luis Rattenhuber and Austin Chafetz of Amherst by the score of 6-4, 5-7, 3-6.  The Gustie pair is 18-8 on the year and is ranked No. 2 in the central.

The individual championships shall consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The selection of teams and individuals for the championships are based on win-lost record, strength of schedule, and eligibility and availability of student-athletes.

The team championship will take place May 20-22 and the individual championships May 23-25, both at Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and will be hosted Kalamazoo College.  The draw for the individual championship will be done by the men’s tennis committee and will be released on the last day of the team championship.

Any singles player or doubles team that scratches from the tournament will be replaced by the next individual or doubles team from their region.  Mya Smith-Dennis has been selected as the alternate for the central region.

NCAA Release

Release Courtesy of Matt Higgins – Assistant to the Executive Director

The Gustavus men’s tennis team continued its dominance in the MIAC over the weekend as the Gusties rolled to a pair of wins en route to their third-straight conference postseason title. Leading the way was junior Mya Smith-Dennis (Savage, Minn./Burnsville), who won all four of his matches – two apiece at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. For his postseason performance, Smith-Dennis was named the final MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week for the 2013 season.

Smith-Dennis got the Gusties off to a great start in both the 5-0 semifinal win over Saint John’s, and the 8-1 championship victory over Carleton. He teamed up with Amrik Donkena to score an 8-2 No. 1 doubles win against the Johnnies, and the duo were 8-6 winners over the Knights’ top doubles team. Smith-Dennis scored a 6-1, 6-0, victory at No. 2 singles against SJU, and he was a 6-3, 6-2, winner in the title match against Carleton. This season, Smith-Dennis is 19-12 in singles competition and ranked No. 9 in the region, and he has a 21-8 doubles record, and he and Donkena are the No. 2-ranked doubles team in the region.

With MIAC regular-season and Playoff championships in their trophy case for 2013, Smith-Dennis and his teammates now turn their focus to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Tournament. The Gusties (22-9) will open national tournament play with a first-round bye, and will face UW-Whitewater (19-11) in the second round. The match will take place Saturday at 12 p.m. central time in Whitewater, Wis., at Wangerin Courts. The winner will play the next day, also at noon, in a third-round contest.

Indianapolis -

The teams will play a single-elimination tournament with the first, second and third rounds played at regional sites, May 10-12. Kalamazoo College will host the team championships finals, which will be held May 20-22 at Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Student-athletes selected to the individual championships will be announced Wednesday, May 8.

The championships provide for a 44-team tournament. Automatic qualification (AQ) is granted to 30 conference champions, which form “Pool A.” Seven teams are selected from true independents and schools from conferences that do not have an automatic bid for their champions (Pool B). The remaining seven teams are selected from those teams in conferences with automatic bids that did not win their conference’s AQ and the remaining Pool B institutions (Pool C). The teams are geographically paired, whenever possible.

At 22-9 overall, Gustavus will compete in the Whitewater, Wis. region next weekend with UW-Whitewater serving as the host institution.  Gustavus and UW-Whitewater will be joined at the regional by Trinity University, Ohio Northern, and Concordia University (Wis.).  The Gusties will face the Warhawks at 12:00 p.m.on Saturday, May 11 at Wangerin Courts.  The winner will play the next day, also at noon, in a third-round contest.

The Gusties are making their 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  They have compiled a record of 45-30 in the tournament within that time.

NCAA Release

St. Peter, Minn. – In a month during which the Gustavus men’s tennis team capped its regular season against a mix of highly competitive regional and out-state competition, the Gusties went 7-4 overall and 3-0 in the MIAC on the way to their unprecedented 25th MIAC Regular Season Championship.  Leading the Gusties throughout April was junior Mya Smith-Dennis (Savage, Minn.) who held down the No. 1 and 2 singles position, as well as the No. 1 doubles spot during the month.  For his outstanding play, Smith-Dennis has been named the Student-Athlete of the Month for April.

Smith-Dennis turned in a singles record of 7-1 in April.  He played at the No. 2 slot for his first five matches, and then was called upon to play at No. 1 for the injured Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) for his last three.  The junior’s only loss came at the hands of Pomona-Pitzer’s Chris Wiechert in a three set battle on April 5.  Aside from that loss, six of his seven wins were of the straight set variety.

In doubles play, Smith-Dennis and Donkena were paired up for the first five matches of the month.  To pair went 2-3 with all three losses coming against regionally ranked doubles squads including a tightly-contested 8-5 defeat at hands of the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the Central Region in Adam Putterman and Ross Putterman of Washington University (Mo.).

In his final three doubles contests of the month, Smith-Dennis and Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) made short work of their opponents, registering wins of 8-0, 8-3, and 8-0 to cap April.

With a 9-0 win over St. Olaf on April 27, the Gustavus men’s tennis team extended its conference dominance to a quarter of a century.  Gustavus has won 259 consecutive conference matches, a streak unmatched in collegiate tennis.  The previous record was held by Kalamazoo who had a string of 241 straight league wins from 1962 to 2003.  The Gusties carried an overall record of 20-9 and an MIAC mark of 9-0 into the MIAC Playoffs held last weekend in St. Peter.

Smith-Dennis and the rest of the Gusties went on to win their third consecutive MIAC Playoff Title with an 8-1 win over Carleton.  Gustavus enters the 2013 NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 22-9.  Mya carries a singles record of 19-12 and a doubles mark of 21-8 into nationals.

The Gustavus Men's Tennis Team claims their third consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hunt.

The Gustavus Men's Tennis Team claims their third consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hunt.

St. Peter, Minn. – When it was determined that the 2013 MIAC Men’s Tennis Playoff Championship was going to be contested outdoors, it is fairly safe to say that the players from Gustavus and Carleton would likely never play in a colder collegiate match for the remainder of their careers.  Keep in mind that it’s May 4th and much of southern Minnesota experienced over 10 inches of snow just two days prior.  Moral of the story – this is what tennis in Minnesota is all about.

Despite temperatures in the mid-40s, the Gusties stayed hot and picked up right where they left off earlier in the day.  After sweeping the doubles competition, Gustavus took five of six points in singles play to defeat the Knights 8-1 and claim their third consecutive MIAC Playoff Title.

“I’m proud of the way our guys competed,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini following the match.  “The conditions were difficult, and Carleton competed hard all day.  They showed a great deal of character bouncing back from their long semifinal win.”

With the victory, Gustavus improves to 22-9 overall, while Carleton concludes its season 15-6 overall.

Coach Valentini was once again pleased with the play of his doubles teams early in the match.  “We got great starts in all three doubles matches which set a great tone for us early,” he said.  “Number two and three doubles were excellent out the gates, and our number one team came up big during key moments of the match.”

Joey MacGibbon

Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.) and Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) put Gustavus on top 1-0 with an 8-3 win over Alexander Chin and Austin Jiang at No. 2 doubles.  Motasem Al-Houni (So., Tripoli, Libya) and Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) followed shortly with an 8-2 win over Erik Johnson and Christian Nagy at No. 3.  Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.) capped the sweep of doubles with a tightly-contested 8-6 win over Paul Cooper and Andrew Hwang.

Valentini said his squad stayed composed through the big moments of the match.  “In the singles we played with a lot of poise and our guys executed their individual game plans quite well,” he stated.  “We handled the conditions with composure, and played some solid tennis.”

Juan Luis Chu (Jr., Lima, Peru) was the first player to win a point in singles, defeating Andrew Hwang 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot.  Smith-Dennis was the next Gustie finished when he beat Alexander Chin 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2.  Donkena took down Austin Jiang 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1, and Joey Mac Gibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) beat McCoy Becker 6-4, 6-1 at No. 5.

Carleton’s Paul Cooper picked up his squad’s only win of the match by defeating Leisner in a three set battle 6-4, 4-6, 10-3.  Entwistle closed out the match and put the win in the books by outlasting Erik Johnson 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 10-5 at No. 6.

“I’m thrilled that we have another week to be together as a team,” Valentini commented.  “The support all of our guys showed for each other was impressive – this was a total team effort.  We look forward to getting back to practice Monday and to preparing for an exciting weekend at the NCAA Regionals.”

In addition to the MIAC’s postseason championship plaque, Gustavus received the MIAC’s automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Tournament.  The NCAA will host a live selection show online to announce the tournament selections and brackets Monday at 6:00 p.m. Individual selections will be announced online via a press release on NCAA.com Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

MIAC Playoff Website

Photo Galley

Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis celebrate their win at No. 1 doubles against Saint John’s.

St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team took care of business in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals against Saint John’s University on Saturday morning at the Swanson Tennis Center.  The Gusties cruised to a 5-0 victory to earn a trip to the MIAC Playoff Championship set to take place later in the day at 2:30 p.m.

“We prioritized coming out with big energy and setting the tone early,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “We played aggressive and captured the momentum with a great showing in doubles.  Mya and Grant did a great job in singles and Amrik was doing his part when the match ended.  It was a good team effort and we got great support the entire match.”

The morning began with a Gustavus sweep of the doubles competition.  Amrik Donkena (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.) earned the Gusties’ first point of the day with an 8-2 victory over Fabricio Moncada and Jack Hansen at No. 1 doubles.  Grant Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn.) and Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) followed suit with an 8-2 win over Andrew Nagel and Connor Rust at No. 2, and Motasem Al-Houni (So., Tripoli, Libya) and Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) topped Willie Paul and Zach Shriwise 8-3 at No. 3.

In singles play, Smith-Dennis and Leisner recorded the two points needed to allow the Black and Gold the 5-0 decision.  Smith-Dennis beat Joe Laue 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, while Leisner defeated Connor Rust 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3.

Coach Valentini said that today’s championship match will come down to staying in the moment and his players competing for one another. “We want to make sure we come out and play our game tonight,” commented Valentini.  ”With an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament on the line, the goal is to establish energy early.  These are the types of matches you look forward to and we’re excited about our opportunity.”

With an overall record of 21-9, the Gustavus men’s tennis team will now play for its third straight MIAC Playoff Championship at 2:30 p.m. at the Swanson Tennis Center.

Box Score