SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s tennis team secured its sixth consecutive and ninth overall MIAC Playoff Championship with a 5-0 victory over Carleton College on Sunday afternoon at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex. The Gusties cruised to three doubles wins before earning the playoff crown with victories at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions.
“We’re very grateful to have come through today,” said Coach Tommy Valentini. “Carleton is a strong team and they’ve had a great season. We knew we needed to set the tone with great energy and trust in our system in the doubles. Our No. 1 team gave us a great lift today and we were able to raise our game in the big moments at No. 2 and No. 3. In the singles, the guys did a great job of staying in the moment and competing for each other. We’re thrilled that we get to be a team for another week and will cherish the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships.”
Thanks to its win, the Gusties earn the MIAC’s automatic berth to the 2016 NCAA Championships. The Gusties will be making their sixth straight and 29th overall appearance in the national tournament since 1983, and this season’s playoff title is the sixth for Coach Tommy Valentini who took over the program in the 2009-10 season. Gustavus heads into the NCAA Championships with a 24-7 overall record. The Gusties are 19-1 all-time in the MIAC Playoffs since the league’s postseason tournament moved to its current single elimination format.
Gustavus came out hot in doubles and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The afternoon began with an 8-1 victory courtesy of Mohanad Alhouni and Andres Saenz at the No. 1 position. Mitch Elofson and David Hagberg followed that with an 8-6 win at the third spot, and Zach Ekstein and Tommy Entwistle clinched the sweep with an 8-6 victory of their own at No. 2.
In singles, the Gusties extended their lead thanks to a 6-1, 6-1 win from Ekstein at the No. 3 spot, and then clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-0 victory from Elofson at No. 4.
The field for the national team tournament will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday at noon. The individual and doubles tournament fields will be announced Wednesday at 7 p.m.