Middlebury, Vt. (April 19, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team will head to Vermont on Saturday, April 20 for a matchup with the No. 9 team in the nation in Middlebury College.  The Ducks will follow the match with another in the afternoon against Empire 8 Conference foe Utica College while  Middlebury will have to be sure not to get caught looking ahead to a matchup with No. 5 Williams College later in the day.  Stevens will be looking to avenge a 5-1 NCAA Tournament second-round loss back in 2011.

Middlebury is hands-down one of the best teams in the nation at 14-1 this spring, with wins over seven of the eight nationally ranked teams they have faced, most by decisive margins.  The Panthers' only loss this season came on March 28 at No. 1 Claremont McKenna-Mudd-Scipps in an 8-1 defeat, while they have given away no more than two games in all but five of their other 14 matchups. 

The Panthers' lineup has both star power and depth; Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings & Results No. 20 junior Alex Johnston the man at first singles, where he has amassed a 6-3 record.  Junior Brantner Jones has held down second singles with an identical 6-3 record.  Johnston is ranked as the top singles player in the Northeast region, while Jones is No. 11.

The Panthers' incredible depth has allowed them to shuffle their lineup from match to match to get everyone experience, but their go-to lineup features No. 24 freshman Palmer Campbell at third singles, where he is 6-1 with another win at #1 (ranked No. 16 in the Northeast).  Senior Spencer Lunghino is 5-2 at fourth singles and picked up a win at #3 two weeks ago, while junior Teddy Fitzgibbons is 6-1 at fifth singles (with wins at #3 and #4) and junior Zach Bruchmiller has gone 6-1 at sixth singles.  The Panthers have also mixed in freshman Ari Smolyar (a perfect 8-0 among #2-5) and freshman Jackson Frons (also 8-0 among #1-6) when able.

Doubles is where Middlebury struggles, if anywhere.  Johnston and Lunghino are just 4-6 at first doubles, while Johnston and Lebovitz paired up to go 1-1 over the last two weeks.  Jones and Campbell have fared considerably better at second doubles, going 7-2 before some shuffling over the last two weeks, and are likely to take the court there on Saturday.  The Panthers have rotated several teams into third doubles over the season, but seem prepared to send out Fitzgibbons and Lebovitz, who are 8-2, if they need the win.

Stevens, meanwhile, has improved to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in Empire 8 play, with all six losses coming to nationally ranked opponents.  The Ducks, ranked No. 13 in the Northeast, most recently defeated Vassar College, ranked No. 12, to continue their climb up the Northeast ladder.

Freshman Matthew Heinrich (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and senior Chris Rosensteel (East Windsor, N.J.), ranked the No. 15 and 8 singles players in the region, respectively, have recently swapped positions at first and second singles, with both playing some of their best tennis of the season.  Heinrich has stepped his game up to a new level, winning six of his last seven matches in straight sets – the past four at #1.  He showed how far he has already come in his rookie season in taking the No. 5 singles player in the region, Vassar's Andrew Guzick, to a third set on Wednesday.  Rosensteel, meanwhile, dropped his first match at second singles but has come back to dominate since, dropping just one game over his last four sets. 

Senior Shota Tasaki (Greenwich, Conn.) and freshman Ben Foran (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) also recently swapped positions at third and fourth singles and have enjoyed similar success.  Tasaki is 3-0 at #3, all in straight sets, and has now won his last six matches.  Foran also won his second match at fourth singles in straight sets and has dropped only three games since the move.  Freshman Tyler Tisdale (Grapevine, Texas) is 4-8 at fifth singles this spring but just under .500 since the Ducks ran the gamut against No. 2 Kenyon College, No. 6 Bowdoin College and No. 23 Swarthmore College (Tisdale is 7-2 across all courts against non-ranked oppoennts).  Junior Derek Smith (Boise, Idaho) rounds out the lineup at sixth singles, where he has gone 2-7 since rejoining the team after the winter swim season.  He has also gone 3-0 at fifth singles and taken three of his losses deep into a third set.

The Ducks' biggest strength is at doubles, which will certainly come into play against the Panthers.  Rosensteel and Heinrich form the No. 3-ranked duo in the Northeast and have played up to the billing with a 13-2 record.  Foran and Tasaki are formidable at second doubles as well, having gone 9-4, while Smith and Tisdale are 4-3 at third doubles (2-0 at twos as well).

The teams will clash bright and early at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, in Middlebury, Vt.  Be sure to follow the action on twitter: @Ducks_Tennis and Like StevensDucks and Stevens Men's Tennis on Facebook!