Jacob Kauppila and Bates defeated MIT 5-4 on April 27, 2018 in Merrill Gymnasium, in the Bobcats' final match of the regular season. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)
LEWISTON, Maine -- Sophomore Jacob Eisenberg's three-set victory at No. 6 singles decided a 5-4 victory over visiting MIT for the Bates men's tennis team Friday night in Merrill Gym, in the Bobcats' final regular-season match of the season.
Bates (8-8), ranked seventh among in ITA Northeast Division III and 22nd nationally, hopes to continue its season by securing a second straight invitation to the six-team NESCAC Men's Tennis Championship tournament taking place next weekend.
MIT (9-7), ranked 13th in the Northeast, fell behind 2-1 in doubles but matched the host Bobcats with three singles victories. Both teams notched two three-set victories, as the match transpired in just under six hours.
Bates senior captain Ben Rosen (Port Washington, N.Y.) and sophomore Jacob Kauppila (Chesterfield, Mo.) defeated Alex Cauneac and Albert Go 8-4, while senior captain Josh Leiner (Baltimore, Md.) and junior Josh Quijano (Los Angeles, Calif.) beat Michael Zhao and Pablo Ampudia 8-6 at No. 2. At third doubles, Victor Cheng and Tyler Barr defeated Bates juniors Duane Davis and Dylan Davis (Dix Hills, N.Y.) 8-3.
Kauppila defeated Go 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4, while Cauneac defeated Quijano 7-6 (4), 6-3 at No. 2 in the early stages of singles play. Cheng outlasted Leiner in three sets (6-2, 4-6, 6-0) at No. 3 to tie the match at 3-3, but Rosen prevailed over Barr at No. 1 singles in a spirited battle featuring Barr fighting off three break points in the second set tiebreaker.
MIT tied the match at 4-4 as Deng defeated Bates sophomore Nick Glover (Austin, Texas) at No. 5, leaving Eisenberg's (Armonk, N.Y.) duel with MIT's Michael Zhao at No. 6 singles. Eisenberg took the first set 7-5, but Zhao tied it by prevailing 8-6 in a second-set tiebreaker. Eisenberg then powered through a 6-1 decision in the final set of the night to finish off Bates' Senior Day victory.
