Release Courtesy of Matt Higgins – MIAC Assistant Executive Director
St. Paul – The Gustavus men’s tennis team added its fourth-straight MIAC Playoff title to its 26th-straight regular-season championship last week, after defeating Saint John’s 9-0 and St. Olaf 8-1 in the conference tournament. Gustie senior Joey MacGibbon (Apple Valley, Minn.) played a big role in the team’s latest MIAC Playoff title, going a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles matches with impressive performances throughout in the two postseason wins. For his contributions to the Gustavus title, MacGibbon was named the MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week for the second time this season.
MacGibbon dropped just four total games in the 9-0 semifinal sweep of Saint John’s. He helped the Gustie No. 2 doubles team score an 8-2 win, and he worked quickly in a 6-1, 6-1, No. 3 singles victory over Jordan Otto. In Sunday’s title match against the Oles, MacGibbon was again outstanding. He helped earn an 8-3 win at No. 2 doubles, and he was a 6-1, 6-0 winner at No. 3 singles. In both matches, MacGibbon was the first singles player to finish off a win, giving his team a 4-0 lead in both matches. This season, the Gustavus senior is 20-5 in singles play and has a 19-7 doubles record.
Thanks to the two postseason wins, the Gusties secured their seventh MIAC Playoff title in eight years and improved to 28-5 overall this season. With a perfect 9-0 regular season record and a 2-0 postseason record, Gustavus finished 11-0 against MIAC foes. The Gusties received their NCAA Tournament matchup Monday, and they were awarded a first-round bye and a home match in the second round. Gustavus will host UW-Whitewater (20-7) on Saturday at the Brown Tennis Courts in St. Peter, Minn., with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.