#9 Tartans Advance Past Rose-Hulman in NCAA Tournament

#9 Tartans Advance Past Rose-Hulman in NCAA Tournament

(CHICAGO, Ill.) - The ninth-ranked Carnegie Mellon University men's tennis team opened the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship with a 5-0 victory against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at the University of Chicago. The Tartans advance to the third round and sit at 15-7 for the season.

A strong doubles performance propelled the Tartans to a 3-0 advantage. The 15th-ranked pair of juniors Daniel Levine (Highland Park, Ill. / Boca Prep International School) and Chaz Downing (Newport Beach, Calif. / Corona Del Mar) started the scoring with an 8-1 win at first doubles. Freshman Ben Ash (Johns Creek, Ga. / Johns Creek) and sophomore Robert Levin (Virginia Beach, Va. / Princess Anne) earned an 8-4 win at third doubles before sophomore Nicholas Calzolano (Hinsdale, Ill. / Hinsdale Central) and freshman Ray Boppana (Boxborough, Mass. / Acton Boxborough Regional) won 8-5 at second doubles.

In singles play, Ash finished his fifth singles match first with a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Boppana then won match point with a 6-1, 6-2 win at third singles. The Tartans led by a set at each of the other four singles matches as the match concluded.

The Tartans will now face seventh-ranked Chicago in the regional final on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT.