Parker Burman – Staff Writer
This past weekend, the Gustavus Men’s Tennis team secured their 12th consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship with a 5-0 win against conference rival Carelton. The championship was the Gusties’ 15th overall in program history and will now advance for the 35th time to the NCAA Tournament.
“This past weekend was a great accomplishment for all 27 of us. We have all worked really hard this season playing so many matches across the country. To have that effort pay off this past weekend was great. I am proud of all the guys for the way we competed both during the regular season and the conference tournament,” First-year Gage Gohl said.
Gustavus started off the competition strong by sweeping the doubles spots to take the early 3-0 lead over Carleton. The doubles pairing of Senior Sourabh Terakanambi and Sophomore Marco Siviero picked up the win in an 8-6 match.
“It was great to get a win but the level of opponents that we will play in the upcoming weeks are going to be better and better, so I need to step up my game as we close out the season,” Terakanambi said.
“I think we played a good match. We had to stop twice because of the rain, and it was very windy also. We were able to go up a break soon which helped a lot, from there we just stuck to our routines and stayed positive through the course of the match. We held our service games which enabled us to get the win 8-6 so it was a positive result. Playing at home and having the energy of the crowd is always awesome and gives us a big lift,” Siviero said.
In the next doubles match, Senior Alex Budde and Gohl also won their match 8-6, both performing well. “The tennis culture here at Gustavus is unlike anything I have experienced before. From coaches to teammates, to alumni, you are always surrounded by people who want the best for you. So many of the guys on the team have helped take me under their wing and made me feel like I belonged right away. It is a privilege to be a part of such a special group of guys who have made this such a memorable season,” Gohl said.
In the last set of doubles, Seniors Nick Aney and Daniel Fouchier played through a tiebreaker to determine their match. When it was all said and done, Aney and Fouchier had secured the 8-7 victory.
With an important 3-0 lead heading into the singles matches, the Gusties were continuing to play better and better. Sophomores Rafael Costa and Josh Christensen helped the Gusties take care of business, both picking up singles victories. Their victories helped to clinch the playoff title for Gustavus.
Costa played well out of the number six spot, winning by scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Christensen on the other hand tacked on the final win for the Gusties at No. 4 with 6-4 and 6-2 victories.
“I felt a little nervous at first, but once I was two or three games into the match, I felt amazing. I had figured out the game plan and executed it very well. I was happy I got one of the wins for the team. It felt really good to see all of my teammates as well as a lot of people watching and being loud. The energy of the crowd really gets me going,” Costa said.
“I thought I competed very well in my singles match and my opponent played a very good match, making it tough on me,” Christensen said.
This weekend, the Gusties will host the NCAA Regional Championship with the hopes of continuing to move further on in the tournament and eventually securing the national championship.
“We have been tested all season long in so many difficult matches to prepare for moments like this weekend. I know that we are ready to go and prove to ourselves just how good of a team we can be. We are going to take it one match at a time, and are looking forward to Saturday’s match against UW Whitewater. We are blessed to be able to host the NCAA regional tournament this upcoming weekend and are excited to compete against some of the top competition in the country at home,” Gohl said.
“It felt good to win the MIAC playoff again, especially as this is my last go around. That being said, the MIACs are a stepping stone for what the team really wants to accomplish, so even though it’s nice to get a playoff championship under our belt we have our sights set on more,” Terakanambi said.