The #7 Middlebury men's tennis team opened the NCAA Tournament with a 5-0 second round victory after receiving a bye for the initial day of competition. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers got out to a quick start, claiming 8-2 victories in each of the three doubles slots for a 3-0 lead.
• Hugh Hentschel and Thehan Wijemanne finished first in the third spot, followed by the tandem of Neel Epstein and Robby Ward at #1 and Aidan Harris and Noah Laber in the middle.
• Harris continued his winning ways in the fourth slot during singles, sweeping his opponent by 6-0 scorelines to put Middlebury up 4-0.
• Noah Lewis clinched the match for the Panthers, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 win at #5.
• When the contest concluded, Middlebury was up one set in each of the other four singles matches.

NOTES

• This marked just the second meeting between the teams, with the inaugural match coming back in 1999. The Panthers own a 2-0 edge in the series.
• With the win today, Harris has now claimed nine-consecutive singles bouts.

Middlebury advances to the NCAA Regional Final and takes on the winner between #10 Trinity (TX) and #25 Massachusetts Institute of Technology at noon on Sunday with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.