Men’s Tennis Upset By Whitman In NCAA Region Championship Posted on May 12th, 2018 by CJ Siewert

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ST. PETER, Minn. – In a match that lasted four hours, visiting Whitman College pulled off a 5-4 upset over the Gustavus men’s tennis team Saturday at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex, capturing the NCAA region championship and advancing to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 1988. The No. 6-ranked Gusties jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles and won the first singles match, but the No. 20-ranked Blues won at Nos. 1, 3, and 6 before the clincher at No. 5. Gustavus ends its season 24-9, while Whitman improves to 18-7 and will face the winner of Middlebury and Johns Hopkins.

“It’s obviously disappointing to come up just short in this match,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “We know how fine the line is between winning and losing at this level, and today was another sign of that. Congrats to Whitman. They are a great team and they played a great match. I could not be more proud of our guys. We handled everything that was within our control at a high level today and we competed positively and with a lot of heart. We have come through in so many big moments all year and we just weren’t able to get over the line today. That being said this has been one of the great seasons in our program’s legacy, and this senior class has been remarkable. They have taken us to another level in a number of important ways and we are so grateful for them. It has been an honor to be their coach and to have had them leading our program.”

Gustavus 4, Whitman 5

Singles

1. Hewlin, Zach (WC-M) def. Mohanad Alhouni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya) (GACM) 6-2, 6-3
2. Zach Ekstein (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) (GACM) def. Kirsh, Ben (WC-M) 6-2, 6-3
3. Ho, Gary (WC-M) def. Patrick Whaling (Jr., Manakin Sabot, Va.) (GACM) 7-5, 6-4
4. Chase Johnson (Jr., Golden Valley, Minn.) (GACM) def. Foster, Daniel (WC-M) 6-1, 7-5
5. Friedman, Chase (WC-M) def. Yassine Derbani (So., Casablanca, Morocco) (GACM) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
6. Hwang, Alex (WC-M) def. Tommy Entwistle (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) (GACM) 6-1, 7-6

Doubles

1. Hewlin, Zach/Carter, Robert (WC-M) def. Mohanad Alhouni/Patrick Whaling (GACM) 8-5
2. Tommy Entwistle/Chase Johnson (GACM) def. Hwang, Alex/Fennessy, Trevor (WC-M) 8-5
3. Zach Ekstein/Mason Bultje (Sr., Mankato, Minn.) (GACM) def. Friedman, Chase/Kirsh, Ben (WC-M) 9-7

Alhouni and Whaling will continue their season as individuals at the NCAA singles and doubles championships May 24-26 in Claremont, Calif.