The men's tennis team closed out their regular season this past week against Bates College (11-6 overall, 6-4 NESCAC). The Polar Bears defeated the Bobcats easily with a 7-2 victory. The win gave Bowdoin momentum heading into the NESCAC tournament this weekend at Amherst College.
"The victory against Bates was important heading into the NESCAC tournament," said senior captain Tyler Anderson. "We were excited to close out the regular season with a decisive victory against a solid Bates team."
Bowdoin opened up the match against Bates with a 2-1 edge after doubles play. The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams for Bowdoin defeated Bates rather easily. Alex Jacobs '12 and Kent Winingham '12 teamed up at No. 2 doubles to defeat Bates 8-1. Tyler Anderson and Casey Grindon '13 defeated the No. 3 Bates doubles team 8-4.
Entering singles play, Bowdoin carried the momentum over from its doubles performance. The Polar Bears proved too strong with victories in five of six singles matches. The depth of Bowdoin's singles lineup proved to be too overpowering for Bates to overcome.
Grindon led the way for the Polar Bears, going undefeated all day. Grindon captured his doubles victory at No. 3 with Anderson and then carried his success over to his singles match by defeating Bates first year Rob Crampton 6-4, 6-1. The victory gave Grindon experience in NESCAC play before heading into the conference tournament this coming weekend.
Bowdoin will head to Amherst to play in the NESCAC tournament this weekend. The first round match up between Bowdoin and Trinity (CT) (12-5 overall, 4-4 NESCAC) will likely come down to the end. The two teams squared off earlier in the season in a heated match, with Bowdoin defeating Trinity 5-4. The match went down to the wire but in the end Bowdoin pulled through. A key win at No. 1 singles by Stephen Sullivan '11 clinched the victory for the Polar Bears.
"Trinity is a tough team to play against," said senior captain Matt Knise. "They are talented throughout the lineup and nearly beat us the last match we played. We know the match will not be a walkover but I think the team is ready for the challenge...this is what we have been training for all season."
If Bowdoin can repeat its performance against Trinity, the team will be one step closer to reclaiming the NESCAC crown. Bowdoin won the NESCAC championship two years ago against Middlebury 5-4. Additionally, the match against Trinity will have implications for the NCAA tournament, which takes place in late May.
If Bowdoin clinches a victory against Trinity this weekend, the team would solidify its spot in the national tournament.
However, a loss may be enough to prevent the team from qualifying. The team doesn't want to jump ahead of itself and is focused on the task at hand: defeating Trinity.