The top-seeded/#4 Middlebury men's tennis team (17-2) blanked fifth-seeded/#17 Amherst by a score of 5-0 in NESCAC Semifinal action on Saturday. The Panthers will face second-seeded Tufts for the conference championship on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Middlebury advances to the NESCAC title match for the seventh-straight time and is seeking its second-consecutive title, and 10th overall. The Jumbos will be making their second appearance in the championship and are the 2021 defending champions. 
 
Middlebury shut out Amherst in doubles action, starting the day with a 3-0 advantage. The Panther tandem of Stan Morris and David Vilys cruised in the top spot of the ladder, winning 8-0 in a match spanning just 29 minutes. At #2, Aidan Harris and Noah Laber jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, claiming an 8-3 triumph. Neel Epstein and Zachary Hilty teamed up in the third slot for an exciting victory. The match was tied three times before the momentum shifted. Epstein and Hilty won two-straight games to make it 7-5. The Mammoth duo battled back and cut the deficit to one (7-6), but it wasn't enough as the Panthers dug deep, tallying the final triumph for the 8-6 final. 
 
Epstein carried the momentum into singles play, easing to a 6-1 victory in the first set at #5, followed by a 6-0 sweep in the second to give Middlebury a 4-0 lead. Morris clinched the match for the Panthers with a 7-5, 6-2 win in the top spot.