ST. PETER, Minn. – Host Gustavus Adolphus and Emory (Ga.) picked up semifinal wins tonight at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III National Men’s Team Indoor Championships at the Swanson Tennis Center.
Gustavus edged UC-Santa Cruz 5-2 and Emory topped Trinity (Texas) 5-2 in
tonight’s semifinals. Sunday’s 9 a.m. CT final is a rematch of last year’s
championships match, a 4-3 Gustavus win. The Gusties will be looking for their third straight title at this event and Emory will be making its third final
appearance in four years, looking for its first title.
Against UCSC, Gustavus won the doubles point, then got wins in singles from
Loren Collins, Ben Lundell, Kyle Anderson and Jesse Brauer. Anderson topped
Kevin Casey 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 5 singles to clinch the victory and halt a
Banana Slug comeback. Gustavus has now beaten UCSC each of the past three years at this tournament – last year in the semis and in the 2002 final.
Against Trinity, Emory won the doubles point, then got wins in singles from
Mark Odgers, Alex Jacobs, Josh Ruden and Jesse Ferlianto. Rubens beat D.J.
Petros 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5 to clinch the win. Emory has also beaten Trinity three
straight years at this event – in last year’s semis and in the 2002 first round
Trinity will face UC-Santa Cruz in tomorrow’s third-place match.
In consolation semifinal play today, Washington (Mo.) topped MIT 6-1 and
Washington & Lee (Va.) beat Bates (Maine) 6-1.
This tournament features six of the top eight teams in the latest ITA
Rankings and is a preview of the season-ending NCAA Championships in May.
(Story courtesy Casey Angle, ITA)