The Gustavus men’s tennis team defeated Swarthmore College 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championship which is being held at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. The Gusties (34-4) will now face Middlebury College in a semifinal match at 10:00 am (EST) on Thursday. Gustavus lost to Middlebury 4-2 in a NCAA Championship semifinal match last year.
Gustavus opened its match against Swarthmore by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Loren Collins (Dallas, Tex.) and Jesse Brauer (Mankato, Minn.), the #3 doubles team defeated Kevin Shaughnessy and Sam Sidhu, 8-2 and then Andy Bryan (Edina, Minn.) and Roy Bryan (Edina, Minn.) clinched the point by defeating Jonathan Lo and Jonathan Reiss 8-2. The #1 doubles team of Adam Morgan (Barrington, Ill.) and Brett Morse-Karzen (Wilmette, Ill.) was leading Brian Park and Zach Rodd 7-3 when the match was stopped.
In singles play, the Gusties got convincing wins from Jesse Brauer at #3, Andy Bryan at #4, and Brett Morse-Karzen at #6 to give the team the four points necessary to clinch the victory. Brauer defeated Brian Park 6-2, 6-4, while Andy Bryan defeated Jon Lo 6-2, 6-2, and Brett Morse-Karzen defeated Sam Sidhu 6-2, 6-1. Loren Collins was leading Zach Rodd 6-0, 1-2 at the #1 spot, Adam Morgan was leading Jon Reiss 7-5, 1-2 at the #2 spot, and Roy Bryan was leading Adam Wallwork 6-0, 5-2 when the match was stopped as a result of Gustavus earning the four points necessary to claim the win.
Gustavus has now advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Team Championship for the sixth time in the past seven years. The Gusties finished fourth at last year’s tournament.