Wesleyan men’s tennis hit the road for the weekend, kicking off the team’s NESCAC season in Middlebury, Vt. against the seventh-ranked Panthers. After three doubles matches, Wesleyan found itself in an unexpected spot—up 2-1 against such a formidable opponent. But as the match progressed and intensity heightened, the Cardinals could not manage to keep pace with the talent of Middlebury. The Cardinals dropped all six singles matches and were ultimately felled by a final score of 7-2.

Without a doubt, Wesleyan’s doubles play continues to be the highlight of the season. Jeff Legunn ’13 and Michael King ’16 won by an 8-5 decision, remaining undefeated this spring with a 5-0 record. The #1 doubles team of Zach Brint ’16 and Sam Rudovsky ’16 knocked off its opponents 8-5 as well. Both teams were able to convert on their first match points, ensuring Middlebury would not be given an opportunity to make a comeback.

“After the doubles portion of the match we were leading 2-1 and we had several matches at singles that could have gone in our favor,”  said captain Michael Glen ’13.

Unfortunately, five of the six singles matches were lost in straight sets. The one exception—King’s #2-seed match—was lost 2-6, 6-3, 3-6. Despite the sweep in singles, Wesleyan made its trip back to Middletown feeling uplifted: the team entered competition against the seventh-ranked team in the nation and proved they are able to compete.

“As a team, we are ready and confident that we can compete and win against the remaining six NESCAC teams that we will face this season,” Glen said.

Alex Rachlin ’15 concurred with Glen.

“The team fought well against Middlebury, especially considering they are top-10 in the nation team,” added Rachlin. “It was great seeing how fired up the team was and how we can compete with a team as good as they are. The guys played doubles really well, and after putting us up 2-1, the singles followed with some really close matches. I felt the match could’ve gone either way, and we were on the wrong side of the result, unfortunately.”

Wesleyan has little time off before the schedule resumes. On Wednesday, April 10, the Cardinals will drive into Hartford to square off against Trinity. Last year, Wesleyan lost to the Bantams 9-0, but expects to fare much better this time around. Trinity enters the contest ranked 28th in the country and will offer another legitimate test for the Cardinals.