SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus men's tennis team defeated Carleton 5-0 to earn its 12th consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship, and 15th overall. The Gusties will now advance to the NCAA tournament for the 35th time in program history.
The Gusties started off strong, sweeping the doubles competitions to take an early 3-0 lead. The duos of
Sourabh Terakanambi (Sr., Apple Valley) and
Marco Siviero (So., Sao Miguel de Oeste, Brazil) and
Alex Budde (Sr., Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and
Gage Gohl (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) each picked up 8-6 victories to start the day, while
Nick Aney (Sr., Rochester) and
Daniel Fouchier (Sr., Nootdorp, Netherlands) went to tie-breakers once again against Carleton's top pair. Aney and Fouchier came away with the 8-7 victory for the 3-0 advantage heading into singles play.
"The guys were fantastic today, said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. The conditions were very challenging and Carleton came out and played a great match. In the doubles Sourabh and Marco competed beautifully and stayed the course to get us on the board. Alex and Gage were also able to stay very poised and stuck to the game plan to get the second point, and Nicky and Daniel played a clutch breaker to get the sweep."
From there,
Rafael Costa (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil) and
Josh Christensen (So., Rochester) took care of business, getting singles victories to clinch the playoff title. Costa was impressive in the No. 6 spot, winning by scores of 6-2 and 6-1, while Christensen tacked on the final win at No. 4 with 6-4 and 6-2 victories.
"Carleton again came out strong in the singles, and our guys stayed present and tough to keep the momentum and to come through. Rafa stepping in at 6 and getting us the 4th point was a massive lift, and Josh and Marco each played well to get us over the line.
"We're very thankful for the result today. We competed well as an entire team today. Our leaders had us prepared to welcome the challenge, and everyone played their role beautifully. We're grateful to move on and into the NCAA tournament. We look forward to enjoying the preparation, to facing whatever challenges lie ahead, and continuing to make progress as a team."
