ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Carleton College men’s tennis team wrapped up the regular season with a 7-2 victory over Macalester College. The Knights improved to 20-4 on the year, tying the school record for regular-season victories in a season. Nelson Wolf (So./Faibault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's School) returned to the lineup and posted his fifth consecutive victory.
This year’s squad matched the mark established in 2008 when the Knights went 20-3. The overall record for victories in a season is 21 established in 2006 and equaled in 2008. This was Carleton’s sixth 20+ win campaign over the last nine years.
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Carleton Record (since 2004)
| Reg. Season |
Post Season |
Overall |
|
| 2004 | 18-3 | 2-2* | 20-5 |
| 2005 | 9-5 | 2-1 | 11-6 |
| 2006 | 19-3 | 2-1 | 21-4 |
| 2007 | 19-2 | 1-1 | 20-3 |
| 2008 | 20-3 | 1-1 | 21-4 |
| 2009 | 14-9 | 0-1 | 14-10 |
| 2010 | 17-3 | 3-1* | 20-4 |
| 2011 | 16-4 | 1-1 | 17-5 |
| 2012 | 20-4 | ||
| Total | 152-36 | 12-9 | 164-45 |
| .809 | .571 | .785 |
Carleton set the tone early in today’s match by winning two of the three doubles matches. Paul Cooper (Jr./Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central) and Peter Dunn (Sr./Winnetka, Ill./North Shore Country Day) combined on an 8-4 victory at first doubles. Andrew Hwang (Fy./Brookfield, Wis./University School) and Austin Jiang (Jr./Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) prevailed at the second slot by an identical score.
Jiang played first singles and faced a 1-4 deficit before winning seven straight games en route to an eventual 6-4, 6-3 victory. "Austin had a pretty slow start to his singles match,” said Carleton head coach Stephan Zweifel. “He had as many lapses of judgment in those first few games as a Secret Service agent in Colombia."
Cooper dropped the opening set at third singles but recovered to post his ninth win in 10 tries. This one went in the scorebook as a 1-6, 6-3, 12-10 decision.
Matthew Ta (Fy./Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) improved to 10-2 on the year after posting a 6-4, 6-2 triumph at fourth singles. "It is always a treat to see Matt fearlessly rip his one-handed backhand,” Zweifel said. “He is certainly not the type of kid who stands on the diving board over-thinking the danger."
At fifth singles Mauricio Gonzalez (Fy./La Paz, Bolivia/American Cooperative School) picked up the win when his opponent retired. Wolf tallied a 6-4 and 6-0 victory at the sixth spot.
The Knights are the No. 2 seed for next weekend’s MIAC Playoffs in St. Peter, Minn. Carleton receives a first-round bye and will face the highest remaining seed in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 5.
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