The #3 Middlebury men's tennis team continued its winning ways with 9-0 victories over Saint Michael's and Bates on Saturday. The Panthers swept the Purple Knights in a match held at the Middlebury Indoor Tennis Center, before topping the Bobcats in the Nelson Recreation Center.
 
HIGHLIGHTS VS. SAINT MICHAEL'S

• Tandem Joe Mairs and Hugh Hentschel grabbed the first point of the day for the Panthers at #2. The pair got out to a 3-0 lead and dropped just one game en route to an 8-1 victory. 
• Knotted at 4-4, Noah Lewis and Julian Wu claimed the next four games to earn an 8-4 triumph in the top doubles spot.
• At #3, Thehan Wijemanne and Nathan Jackson pulled away for an 8-4 win to give Middlebury a 3-0 advantage.
• Jackson continued his winning ways in singles action, blanking his opponent (6-0, 6-0) in the second spot.
• In the third slot, Nikky Kondamuri eased to a 6-1, 6-3 win to clinch the match for the Panthers.
• Lewis earned a victory at the top of the lineup, claiming his first set in tiebreaker fashion (7-6 (3)), before winning 6-1 in the second.
• Wijemanne surrendered just four games over two sets during a 6-1, 6-3 triumph at #4.
• Andrew Mueller slipped past his opponent 7-5 in the sixth slot, before winning 6-1 to increase the lead to 8-0 and Maximus Kim earned a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win at #6 for the 9-0 final score.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. BATES

• The duo of Mairs and Hentschel got the hosts on the scoreboard with an 8-3 triumph in the third doubles spot.
• Ward and Epstein got past their opponent by an 8-5 score in the #1 slot, before Noah Laber and Aidan Harris posted an 8-5 decision in the second position for a 3-0 lead.
• Epstein recorded a 6-0, 6-4 win at #5 before Laber clinched the decisive point in the top position by scores of 6-3, 6-3.
• In the third spot of the lineup, Ward tallied a 6-3, 6-2 victory and Hentschel gave Middlebury a 7-0 advantage with a 6-4, 6-3 win at #6.
• The final two points were posted in straight sets by Wu at #2 (6-0, 6-1) and Harris (6-3, 6-2) to complete the sweep.

NOTES

• Epstein's win in his singles match against the Bobcats was the 42nd of his career.
• Wu earned his team-leading 14th win as an individual (14-1) this season.
• Saint Michael's and Middlebury played for the 36th time with the Panthers winning each of the previous 35 matches in a series that began in 1928.
• Bates and Middlebury squared off for the 35th time with the Panthers owning a 30-5 edge in the all-time series and have won the last 24 matchups.

Middlebury wraps up the busy weekend with a 2:00 p.m. Sunday match against #5 Tufts.