MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The men's tennis team will return to the NCAA Division III national championships for the second straight season as the UMAC's automatic qualifier. On Saturday afternoon, the Panthers defeated Wisconsin-Superior 5-1 in an electric atmosphere to win the UMAC tournament in Greenville's first year as an affiliate member of the UMAC.
The Panthers established a 2-1 lead after the doubles round when their No. 1 and No. 3 teams played great and captured easy wins.
The No. 1 team of Andres Sanchez and Rafael Rodriguez collected an 8-3 win, and the No. 3 duo of Jordi Matuhen and Thibaut Tignee won 8-1.
The Panthers won the first three matches finished in singles to take the title.
No. 1 Sanchez had a 6-2, 6-1 win, and No. 2 Rodriguez picked up a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
The Panthers received the clinching win from No. 4 Clark Kent who took a 6-2, 6-4 win.
The Panthers (22-7) will receive their NCAA opening round assignment on Monday.