#9 Men’s Tennis Advance to 13th Straight UAA Semifinal

(ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's tennis team, ranked ninth nationally, won its University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship quarterfinal match with a 5-4 decision over Case Western Reserve University on Thursday. The Tartans move to 14-5 on the season while the 21st-ranked Spartans move to 15-10. The three-day event is being held at the Sanlando Park Tennis Complex in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Following doubles play the Tartans trailed 2-1. The lone point for the Cardinal and Gray came at one doubles when juniors Daniel Levine (Highland Park, Ill. / Boca Prep International School) and Chaz Downing (Newport Beach, Calif. / Corona Del Mar) won 8-4.

Freshman Ray Boppana (Boxborough, Mass. / Acton Boxborough Regional) knotted the score at 2-2 with a 6-3, 6-3 win at third singles. Case Western Reserve then grabbed a 3-2 edge, but the Tartans picked up the next three points for the victory. The first came at second singles when Downing won 6-4, 6-2 and then Levine won a three-set (6-0, 2-6, 6-4) match at first singles to give the Tartans a 4-3 advantage.

Sophomore Robert Levin (Virginia Beach, Va. / Princess Anne) sealed the win for the Cardinal and Gray with a straight set win at fifth singles. Levin won 6-3, 6-2 to lift the Tartans to their 13th straight appearance in the semifinals of the championship tournament.

Carnegie Mellon will now face seventh-ranked University of Chicago on Friday at 2:00 p.m.