Freshman Nick Zazove was one of two Forestersto go undefeated on the day as the Lake Forest College men's tennis team won 5-4 at Lawrence University and 9-0 at Ripon College on Sunday.
Zazove and senior Dragan Trivanovic came out on top of an 8-6 decision at #2 doubles at Lawrence but the visitors trailed 2-1 going into singles play.
Trivanovic evened the score with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at #4 singles but the Vikings regained the lead with a win at #5. Three sets were needed to determine a winner in each of the final four singles matches to finish and the Foresters came out on top in three of them. Sophomore Joe Bove edged out his opponent 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 at #6 and Zazove gave Lake Forest the edge with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win at #2. The teams were tied again after Lawrence earned the point at #1 singles, leaving #3 as the deciding match. After dropping the first set 6-3, senior Ellis Lora-Arceo took the second 6-1 and the third 6-3 to claim victory for the Foresters.
While both teams had already clinched a spot in Friday's four-team Midwest Conference Championship Tournament due to results from elsewhere in the league Sunday morning, the Foresters' victory made them the third seed and Lawrence the fourth in the tournament semifinals.
After a short trip from Lawrence to Ripon, Lake Forest swept the Red Hawks, beginning with an 8-0 victory at #1 doubles and an 8-1 triumph at #2. Lora-Arceo and sophomore Trevor Allen competed at the top spot in the lineup for the Foresters while Trivanovic and junior Nick Rehm were at #2. The visitors also earned the point at #3 by forfeit.
The Red Hawks also forfeited the point at #6 singles so a 6-4, 6-0 win at #5 singles by Bove clinched the match for Lake Forest. Allen and Rehm did not drop a game at #1 and #4, respectively, and Trivanovic outscored his opponent 6-0, 6-1 at #3. Lora-Arceo was the last to finish once again and his 6-3, 6-0 victory at #3 finished off the sweep.
Lake Forest improved to 13-10 overall this season finished 6-2 in MWC play. Lawrence fell to 11-9 overall and 5-3 in the league while Ripon completed the year without a win in 15 overall matches and eight conference contests.
The Foresters' opponent in Friday's MWC Championship Tournament semifinal will by Cornell College and that match will begin at 8:30 in the morning. The winner will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Lawrence and Grinnell College at 1:00 p.m. The tournament, as well as the MWC Individual Tournaments on Saturday and Sunday, will be played at the Nielsen Tennis Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
