MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College women’s tennis team will host an NCAA Division III regional this weekend after falling in the NESCAC tournament final to Wesleyan this past Sunday, 5-2.
Middlebury enters the weekend with a record of 16-2 after having played a tough schedule. The Panthers have faced 10 matches against top-10 teams. Middlebury was ranked No. 3 in the most recent NCAA Division III poll before falling to No. 4 Wesleyan and is the only D-III team to defeat top-ranked Emory, 6-3 at home on April 7.
The Panthers defeated sixth-ranked Amherst, 5-0, in this past Saturday’s NESCAC semifinal before dropping the final to Wesleyan, and they reached the 2018 NCAA semifinal before falling to Emory, 5-4.
They are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last 17 years in the regional, which will run from Friday to Sunday from May 10-12.
Assuming the weather permits play on outdoor courts, Moravian (19-1) and Cairn (9-4) will play at Friday with the winner to play Middlebury on Saturday at 3 p.m. At Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Tufts (8-9) will battle the either Stevens (10-1) or St. Joseph’s of L.I. (9-3), who will play at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Saturday’s winners will square off in the regional final on Sunday at noon.
If the Panthers advance through the regional they will head to Kalamazoo College for the Elite Eight from May 20-22. Amherst is the probable quarterfinal opponent, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (23-1) a likely semifinal foe. Wesleyan (15-2) and Emory (17-3) are on the other side of the bracket.