The Gustavus men’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the MIAC Championship with a 5-1 win over Saint Mary’s on Friday afternoon. Rain forced the match indoors and it was played at the Owatonna Tennis Club. The Gusties (#1 seed) will play Saint John’s (#5 seed) on Saturday at 12:30 pm in Northfield, Minn.
Saint Mary’s chose not to contest the doubles points, so the two teams played singles only. Gustavus won five of the six singles matches to claim the victory. First year player Mike Burdakin (Bettendorf, Iowa) won at #1, junior Claudio Bravo (Tucson, Ariz.) at #3, junior Danny Suchy (La Crosse, Wis.) at #4, sophomore Griffin Foley (White Bear Lake, Minn.) at #5 and junior Brian Laumeyer (Owatonna, Minn.) at #6. Sophomore Chad Olson (Shoreview, Minn.) lost at the #2 position.
With the win, the Gusties improved to 29-4 overall. The team will be attempting to win its 18th consecutive MIAC Championship on Saturday. Should the Gusties defeat Saint John’s at 12:30 pm, they would then play the winner of the Carleton/Concordia match at 4:00 pm in the championship match.