MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s tennis team opened its season on Saturday with a pair of home wins, defeating Stevens Institute of Technology, 8-1, and Brandeis, 7-2. The Panthers were ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III in preseason polling. They return to action with two matches on Saturday in California.
Against Stevens, the doubles tandem of Chris Frost and William de Quant notched the team’s first point with an 8-3 victory at No. 3. The No. 2 flight of Ari Smolyar and Noah Farrell won, 8-2, while the top doubles team of Palmer Campbell and Peter Heidrich prevailed, 8-6.
In singles, Campbell claimed the team’s fourth point at No. 3 with a 6-0, 6-1 win; while Farrell clinched the match at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-2 win. Smolyar picked up a win at No. 1 (3-6, 6-2, 11-9), while Courtney Mountifield grabbed the team’s seventh point at No. 4 (6-4, 4-6, 10-6). Allen Jackson posted Middlebury’s eighth point with a 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 victory at No. 6 before Stevens scored its lone point of the match at No. 5.
Later in the day against Brandeis, the Panthers swept the doubles matches as Frost and de Quant won, 8-3; Campbell and Heidrich, 8-2; and Smolyar and Farrell, 8-3.
Smolyar was victorious at No. 1 (6-2, 6-0) while Campbell won No. 3 (6-3, 6-0). The Judges claimed their two points of the match at No. 4 and No. 2. Rounding out the scorers for Middlebury were Jackson with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at No. 5 and de Quant at No. 6 with scores of 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).