May 12, 2013

Box Score

MIDDLEBURY, VT - For the second consecutive season it was Johns Hopkins versus Middlebury for a berth in the NCAA Quarterfinals. This time it was the 11-ranked Panthers that came out on top as Middlebury defeated ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins, 5-1, in the NCAA Sweet 16 Sunday afternoon. The Blue Jays end their season with a 20-3 record while the Panthers improve to 20-4 as they advance to the NCAA Elite 8. Hopkins' 20 wins this season are one shy of the program record, while the three losses are the fewest since 2007 when JHU went 19-3.

Brantner Jones and Teddy Fitzgibbons put Middlebury on the board with an 8-3 win at first doubles over freshman Nicholas Garcia and sophomore Noah Joachim. The Blue Jays then dropped a pair of hard-fought 8-6 decisions as the Panthers took a 3-0 lead into singles. Seniors Andy Hersh and Jeff Kamei fell at third to Palmer Campbell and Spencer Lunghino. And at first, sophomores Tanner Brown and Erik Lim lost to Alex Johnston and Andrew Lebovitz - both doubles teams were selected to the NCAA Doubles Championship and could see each other again.

In singles, sophomore Ben Hwang pulled Hopkins within two points as he won a quick 6-2, 6-1 match over Campbell at third. Courtney Mountifeld pushed Middlebury closer to the victory with a 6-4, 6-2 win at sixth over sophomore Sam Weissler. Jones then clinched the win and the berth in the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Hersh at second.

Though the team portion Hopkins' season is over, several Blue Jays have been selected for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship in Kalamazoo, MI. Brown and Hersh were each selected for the NCAA Singles Championship, wile Brown and Lim were selected for the Doubles Championship. The individual championship is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 23 at Stowe Stadium.