Mason, Ohio, May 19, 2015 – The No. 5-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's tennis team suffered a 5-2 loss to No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Tuesday in the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps jumped in front winning two of three doubles, and then posted three straight-set victories in singles to advance to the national title match for the third-straight year. The Stags take on No. 3 Middlebury in the national championship Wednesday at 3 p.m. (ET).
CMS extended its win streak to 11 matches and improved to 32-2, while WashU fell to 21-6. The Bears tangle with University Athletic Association (UAA) rival and No. 8-ranked University of Chicago in the third-place match Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET). WashU defeated Chicago 5-4 on April 11 in the teams only meeting this year.
"The kids battled hard and that's all you can ask for," said 14th-year head coach Roger Follmer. "CMS is very good and it could be their year with four seniors."
CMS jumped ahead quickly in doubles winning convincingly 8-2 and 8-3 at No. 1 and No. 2 to jump in front 2-0.
Juniors Josh Cogan and Tyler Kratky kept the Bears in a match with an 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles to remain undefeated at 8-0 this season. The duo recorded its only break of the match tied at 3-3.
"It was another tight match in doubles. We felt like if we kept the energy up we are going to come out on top," said Kratky.
WashU fell behind 4-1 after freshman Jason Haugen and sophomore John Carswell suffered straight-set losses. Haugen dropped at 6-1, 6-0 decision at No. 6, while Carswell suffered a 7-6, (7-3), 6-4 loss to No. 12-ranked Warren Wood at No. 1. The loss for Haugen was his first in singles since April 11.
Kratky gave WashU some hope as he grinded out a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles to trim the lead to 4-2. He is 6-0 in NCAA Tournament play, winning all four doubles matches with Cogan.
With WashU fighting back in the three remaining matches, No. 33-ranked Skyler Butts posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over senior Ross Putterman at No. 2 singles to seal the match.
"We knew being down 2-1 after doubles would not be easy to come back. We fought till the end and knew it could go the distance. I am proud of everyone on this team," Kratky added.
Match-by-Match Results
Doubles
1. Joe Dorn/Warren Wood (CMS) def. Jeremy Bush/Ross Putterman (WASHUM) 8-2
2. #22 Skyler Butts/Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Kevin Chu/Jason Haugen (WASHUM) 8-3 |
3. Josh Cogan/Tyler Kratky (WASHUM) def. Glenn Hull/Nik Marino (CMS) 8-6
Singles
1. #12 Warren Wood (CMS) def. John Carswell (WASHUM) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 |
2. #33 Skyler Butts (CMS) def. #37 Ross Putterman (WASHUM) 6-4, 6-4
3. #10 Nik Marino (CMS) vs. #45 Jeremy Bush (WASHUM) 4-6, 4-4, unfinished
4. #14 Tyler Kratky (WASHUM) def. Joe Dorn (CMS) 6-4, 6-4
5. Daniel Morkovine (CMS) vs. #26 Johnny Wu (WASHUM) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
6. Glenn Hull (CMS) def. Jason Haugen (WASHUM) 6-1, 6-0
Notes:
• The Bears are 16-6 against nationally ranked teams this season.
• WashU is 24-2 at No. 4 singles this season.
• The Bears are 19-8 this season at No. 3 doubles, with eight-straight wins.
• WashU has a 1-6 all-time record in semifinal contests.
