Author: Scott Palmer
The 2002 men's tennis season started according to plan for the Panthers. While the squad has not qualified for the Division III national tournament in the history of the program, if the start to the season is any indication, this fact could change very soon.
The season began with the team traveling to the University of Vermont (UVM) to take on the Division I Catamounts. The Panthers downed the Cats by a score of 5-2 after taking the doubles point and losing only two of the six singles matches. The two losses came at line one, where first-year Justin Ingoglia was downed by a rival UVM player, and at line three where senior co-captain Matt Dougherty, who was nursing a wrist injury, lost in a third set tiebreaker. After winning all three of the doubles matches, the Panthers needed to only win three out of the six singles matches to secure the victory. Led by co-captain Steve Hulce '03.5, who won at line two, first-year Andrew Jacobi who won easily at line four, sophomore Stu Brown who won at line five, and first-year James Meditz who won at line six, the Panthers had no problems dispatching the Cats.
Next up for the squad were the Bates Bobcats, who finished last season ranked 15th in the nation. The Panthers were looking to avenge last spring's 5-2 loss, and vengeance would be theirs. The match did not start off favorably for the Panthers, as Bates won the doubles point after taking two of the three doubles matches. Dougherty and Hulce, playing line one doubles took a 7-1 lead against Bates' top doubles team, before ultimately winning 8-5. At line two doubles Brown and Ingoglia lost in a tiebreaker, and at line three Jacobi and junior Rick Jamgochian lost 8-6.
Having won the doubles points, the Bates team was very excited about their chances of ultimately winning the match, however this optimism ended extremely quickly. Middlebury swept the six singles matches, defeating Bates 6-1, and proving to themselves that this Panther team was different from years past. Leading the way for the Panthers in singles were co-captains Dougherty and Hulce, both of whom lost the first set of their matches, yet fought back valiantly to win in three sets and inspire their teammates in the process. Also winning were Ingoglia, Jacobi, Meditz and Brown. Though the Bobcats performed well, the Panthers were overwhelming, combining power, intelligence and intensity to secure the win. Now the squad will travel to Hilton Head, S.C., to play six matches in five days. This trip should provide a good measuring stick for how the team stacks up against some of the best in the nation. Hopefully, the trip and the rest of the regular season will follow the lead of the first two matches and the Panthers will be heading to Division III Nationals this spring.
Men's Tennis Serves Up Two Wins
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