The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team heads to Orlando, Florida this weekend for the NCAA Championship. The Panthers advance to the national quarterfinals for the 18th time.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury secured the NCAA Regional title on Sunday, topping #10 Johns Hopkins 5-2. The squad was victorious 5-1 over Christopher Newport University on Saturday in the second round.
• The Panthers are seeking the program's fourth national championship, having most recently claimed the crown in 2018.
• Middlebury enters the weekend with a 17-3 record and is 10-2 against nationally-ranked opponents. 
• The Panthers earned the conference's automatic qualifier to the tournament after claiming the NESCAC title for the 11th time. 

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The tandem of Aidan Harris and Noah Laber, who was also selected for the NCAA Doubles Championship, has held down the top spot all season. The pair has won six of its last seven matches.
• In the middle of the lineup, Panther duo Neel Epstein and Robby Ward has collected the most doubles wins this year (16). 
• Rounding out the doubles pairs is Joe Mairs and Julian Wu who have claimed five of their last six matches.
• Playing at #1 singles, Laber has an impressive 14-2 mark this season. He is riding a five-match unbeaten streak, with each of those wins coming in straight sets.
• In the second slot, Harris has been victorious in four of the last five matches that have been completed, with three others going unfinished. 
• Ward and Wu have split time at #4 and #5 this year. Wu leads the team with 24 wins and had a 20-match unbeaten streak earlier this spring. Ward has won 10-straight contests, and is second on the squad with 21 triumphs.
• Holding down the #6 spot and pacing the squad in career wins (39) is Zihao Yuan. He has won nine of his last 10 matches that have gone to completion. 

ABOUT #11 BOWDOIN

• The Polar Bears edged NESCAC foe #5 Williams 5-4 to return to the elite eight for the first time since 2019.
• Bowdoin is making its sixth appearance in the quarterfinals, and is seeking its second program title after winning in 2016.
• The Polar Bears enter the weekend with a 17-4 record.

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• The top pair of Tristan Bradley and Reid Staples own a 12-6 mark.
• In the second slot, Ethan Bradley and Peter Breuker have the most victories in doubles play with 14.
• Evan Fortier and Mark Kneiss have won seven of their last eight matches at #3.
• T. Bradley leads the way for Bowdoin at #1 singles. The Polar Bear has amassed a 15-2 record, with one of those losses coming at the hands of Middlebury's Laber.
• Breuker (#3) and Kneiss (#4) have each won 10 matches this year, including five straight for each. 
• Fortier has an 11-1 record, with 10 of those victories coming in the sixth slot.  

SERIES HISTORY

• This marks the 53rd meeting between the programs, with the first match taking place in 1934. Middlebury owns a 34-18 advantage in the series.
• The teams met twice this year, with the Polar Bears claiming the regular-season bout 5-4, before the Panthers earned the conference crown with a 5-4 win. 
• The programs have met in the NCAA Championship match twice (2016 & 2018), with each claiming a title. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• The other three quarterfinal matchups feature #2 Tufts versus #7 Emory, #3 Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) versus #6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and #1 Case Western Reserve versus #13 Gustavus Adolphus. 
• Other than Bowdoin, Middlebury has only faced Tufts this year. The Jumbos earned the regular-season win 6-3, but the Panthers eased by 5-2 in the NESCAC Semifinals. 
• A new champion will be crowned this year as last year's winner is not in the elite eight. Case Western Reserve has been the national runner-up the past two years, and is seeking the program's first title. Emory has won six championships, while WashU and CMS have earned two.

TOURNAMENT INFO

• USTA National Campus Tournament Central
• NCAA Championship Page