The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team trailed 4-1 in NCAA Quarterfinal action against #11 Bowdoin, but the Panthers battled back to complete a come-from-behind 5-4 victory. Neel Epstein clinched the match with a three-set comeback win at #3, having also grabbed the first point of the day with his doubles partner Robby Ward. The duo accounted for three of Middlebury's five points. 
 
DOUBLES HIGHLIGHTS

• Epstein and Ward gave the Panthers a 1-0 edge with an 8-3 victory at #2. Epstein started the match with powerful serving as the duo didn't allow a point in the first game. The pair did not allow a point in the final game either to secure Middlebury's lone doubles triumph.
• Polar Bear tandem Tristan Bradley and Reid Staples took a 3-0 lead and never looked back, earning an 8-4 win over Aidan Harris and Noah Laber at the top of the ladder.
• Bowdoin took a 2-1 edge with a point at #3 as Evan Fortier and Mark Kneiss edged Joe Mairs and Julian Wu 8-6.

SINGLES HIGHLIGHTS

• The Polar Bears did not let up, claiming straight-set victories at #1 and #2 singles to push their advantage to 4-1.
• Middlebury would not back down, as Zihao Yuan made it 4-2 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the sixth slot.
• Wu and Ward knotted the match at 4-4 with consecutive points in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Wu claimed his initial match 6-4, but the second was a back-and-forth affair. Knotted at 3-3, Wu took a 4-3 edge and did not allow a point in the eighth game to push the lead to 5-3. The final game came down to deuce, but it was Wu who earned the deciding point.
• After claiming his opening set (6-3), Ward found himself deadlocked three different times with his opponent. Knotted 5-5, Ward's 11th and 12th games came down to deuce, with the Panther claiming both for the 7-5 victory.
• The match came down to a heated battle in the third spot. Bowdoin's Pieter Breuker pulled away from Epstein in the opening set, winning 6-3. Deadlocked at 2-2 in the middle frame, Epstein claimed the next two games for the 4-2 advantage. Breuker knotted the contest at 4-4, but Epstein's powerful serving was the difference maker as the Panther earned a 6-4 win and forced a final set. 
• In the third, Epstein raced out to a 4-0 advantage, but Breuker battled back to cut the deficit to just one (5-4). The 10th and final game saw two ties, before Epstein claimed the game, set and final point for Middlebury. 

NOTES

• This was the third meeting between the teams this season, with each of them being decided by one point. Bowdoin won the regular-season match 5-4, but Middlebury claimed the NESCAC title, and today's win, by a 5-4 score. 
• The victory was the eighth-straight win for the Panthers, who improve to 18-3 on the year. 
• Middlebury is making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and played in their 18th quarterfinal. The program has advanced to the semifinals on 15 occasions, including this year. 
• Epstein and Ward pushed their team-leading victory total to 17 today.
• Yuan claimed his 40th career win, while Wu notched his 25th.
• Ward rattled off his 11th-straight triumph.

Middlebury will take on #1 Case Western Reserve on Monday at 12:00 p.m. in a rematch of last year's semifinals. In 2022, the Spartans won the only meeting between the teams, before falling in the title match.