The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team outlasted #10 Johns Hopkins University 5-2 to claim its eighth-consecutive NCAA Regional title. The Panthers advance to the national quarterfinals for the 18th time.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays grabbed the first point of the day, picking up a tight 8-6 victory in the second slot.
• Middlebury took a 2-1 advantage with tiebreaker triumphs in the final pair of doubles matches. Joe Mairs and Julian Wu claimed an 8-7 (5) victory at #3, before Aidan Harris and Noah Laber won 8-7 (4) at #1.
• Hopkins evened the match with a straight-set triumph in the second singles spot.
• Wu continued his winning ways, cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 victory at #4 to put the Panthers back on top (3-2) for good.
• Robby Ward followed Wu, claiming a 6-2, 6-3 win in the fifth spot.
• Neel Epstein secured the match for Middlebury, earning a first-set tiebreaker 7-6 (4), before triumphing 6-4 in the second to seal the 5-2 Panther victory. 

NOTES

• Today's victory was the 10th straight for Ward.
• The Panthers and the Blue Jays have met five times, with Middlebury holding a 3-1 edge in NCAA Regional final bouts. The teams met earlier this season, with the Panthers claiming a 5-4 victory.

 
Middlebury takes on NESCAC foe #11 Bowdoin in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, with a time to be determined. The remaining rounds of the tournament will take place at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.