Box Score The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team fell 5-1 to second-ranked Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in the NCAA Semifinals on Tuesday morning in Orlando, Florida. The Panthers finished the season with an impressive 21-3 record, including a 17-match winning-streak heading into the semifinal contest. Middlebury concludes the team portion of the season, but Stan Morris (singles and doubles) and David Vilys (doubles) will begin competition in the NCAA Individual Championships on Thursday. The Spartans (25-4) will take on the winner of #1 UChicago/#3 Tufts in the title match on Wednesday.
 
The Panthers made their 17th appearance in the quarterfinal round and advanced to the semifinals for the 12th time in program history. Middlebury reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in eight seasons and 11th time overall. 
 
Trailing 3-1 in the top spot of doubles, Morris and Vilys came back to tie the score 3-3. Their comeback bid fell short, as CWRU duo James Hopper and Jonathan Powell held on to secure the 8-4 victory and the first point of the day. 
 
The Panther pairing of Neel Epstein and Zachary Hilty fell behind 2-1 in a trio of tight games at #3, but dug deep to gain a 4-2 lead. The pair did not allow a single point in games eight and nine, keeping the edge at two (6-4). The 11th game was a back-and-forth affair, but Middlebury triumphed, before cruising in the final game to make it 8-4 and tie the contest at 1-1. 
 
The final doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on the middle court. Middlebury tandem Aidan Harris and Noah Laber ultimately fell (8-7(3) as the Spartans took a 2-1 edge.
 
CWRU took a 3-1 advantage with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at #3 singles. At the top of the ladder, the first set came down to a tiebreaker with the Spartans winning 7-6(3), before taking the second set 6-4 to put the Spartans within reach of the final point.
 
CWRU clinched the match in the sixth spot, claiming the first set 6-3. In the second, Zihao Yuan battled from down 5-1 to try and split the match. He cut the deficit to a pair (5-3), but the Spartans won the final game to advance. The loss was the first for Yuan this spring, as he concludes the season with an impressive 17-1 record.