Athletics

Men’s Tennis Falls 5-1 In NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal Against Top-Ranked Middlebury

The Gustavus men’s tennis team fell by a score of 5-1 against No. 1-ranked Middlebury College on Monday evening in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

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by

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Gustavus men’s tennis team fell by a score of 5-1 against No. 1-ranked Middlebury College on Monday evening in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

The Gusties end their season with an overall record of 26-9 as they reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.

Chase Johnson (So., Golden Valley, Minn.) and Tommy Entwistle (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) claimed the sole victory for Gustavus, winning 8-6 in the No. 2 doubles position. The Panthers prevailed in singles play to take down the Gusties and move on to the semifinals.

“I could not be more proud of our guys,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “We competed hard and handled the moment very well. We had a look at the lead in the doubles after playing at an extremely high level. Despite being down 1-2 we continued to focus on what was within our control. We trusted and played for each other all night. Middlebury is an excellent team and played a good match to defeat us. Of course it’s tough to have the season come to and end, but this is a special group that cherished the opportunity and will grow from it moving forward.”

Middlebury 5, Gustavus 1 (Box)

Singles

  1. Mohanad Alhouni (Jr., Tripoli, Libya) (GAC) vs. Lubomir Cuba (MIDD) 6-7, 0-2, unfinished
  2. William de Quant (MIDD) def. Zach Ekstein (Jr., Eagan, Minn.) (GAC) 6-3, 6-1
  3. Patrick Whaling (So., Mankiob Sabot, Va.) (GAC) vs. Hamid Derbani (MIDD) 2-6, 3-5, unfinished
  4. Kyle Schlanger (MIDD) def. Tommy Entwistle (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) 6-2, 6-0
  5. Timo Van der Geest (MIDD) def. Chase Johnson (So., Golden Valley, Minn.) (GAC) 6-2, 6-3
  6. Yassine Derbani (Fy., Casablanca, Morocco) (GAC) vs. Allen Jackson (MIDD) 2-6, 3-3, unfinished

Doubles

  1. Cuba/de Quant (MIDD) def. Alhouni/Whaling (GAC) 9-7
  2. Entwistle/Johnson (GAC) def. Derbani/Schlanger (MIDD) 8-6
  3. Van der Geest/Peter Martin (MIDD) def. David Hagberg (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.)/Derbani (GAC) 8-2

Mohanad Alhouni and Patrick Whaling will compete in the singles and doubles competition of the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday in Chattanooga. Alhouni is set to participate in the 32-individual singles draw, while the duo of Alhouni and Whaling will pair up in the 16-team doubles draw. Singles and doubles draws will be released at the conclusion of the team championships.