The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team trailed 3-1 early, but came from behind to edge #9 Bowdoin 5-4 on Sunday. The match marked the regular-season finale for both teams as the Panthers extended their winning streak to 11-straight victories. Middlebury finished with a 15-2 record and a 9-1 NESCAC mark, while the Polar Bears concluded the regular season at 15-4 and 7-3 in league play. 
 
The conference tournament begins on Friday, May 6 with Wesleyan serving as the host. The seedings will be announced later today. 
 
Today's contest was Senior Day for the Panthers, as the squad celebrated Zachary Hilty, Stan Morris and David Vilys prior to the start of competition. 
 
The Polar Bears jumped out to a 2-1 edge after doubles play. Bowdoin earned victories in the top spot (8-3) and the third slot (8-1). The Panther duo of Aidan Harris and Noah Laber grabbed a point in the middle position, edging the Polar Bears 8-6.
 
Bowdoin took the first point in singles play, winning in the fourth spot for a 3-1 lead. Zihao Yuan won in straight sets (6-0, 6-3) at #6 to cut the deficit to one (3-2). The win was Yuan's 15th-straight triumph as he finished the regular season unbeaten (15-0, 9-0) in singles action. 
 
Morris knotted the contest 3-3 with a tight finish in the top spot. He fell 6-3 in the first set, but bounced back to win a pair (7-5, 6-4) for his eighth-consecutive singles triumph. 
 
Neel Epstein gave Middlebury its first lead of the contest at 4-3 with a point at #5. Epstein and his opponent traded the first two sets, before Epstein was victorious 6-3 in the third. 
 
Harris clinched the match in the third slot. After being edged 7-5 in the first set, Harris battled back to take two sets (6-3, 6-0) to secure the victory for the Panthers. Bowdoin made it a 5-4 final with a three-set victory at #2.