In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, the Middlebury men's tennis team, ranked 10th in NCAA Division III, fell by a 7-2 score Tuesday afternoon to the NAIA's third-ranked team of Georgia Gwinett. The Panthers will look to return to the win column Wednesday with a match against Georgia Perimeter at 2:30 p.m.
The Grizzlies improved to a perfect 13-0 for the spring, while the Panthers dipped to 5-1.
In doubles action, the 24th-ranked team of Middlebury's Alex Johnston and Andrew Lebovitz came back from a 4-0 deficit and posted an exciting 8-6 victory in the top flight over Nathan De Veer and Luke Morland. The Grizzlies grabbed the other two doubles point and took a slim 2-1 edge into singles play.
In singles play, Middlebury's second point of the match came at No.5 singles from Ari Smolyar. Smolyar defeated Hernan Hatem in straight sets by scores of 6-4 and 7-5. Courtney Mountifield and Jackson Frons battled back from a set down and grabbed the second set in their respective matches at No. 4 and No. 6, but both fell in three sets.
