Tartans Sweep Houghton for NCAA Second-Round Win

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's tennis team opened the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships with a second-round win against Houghton College on Saturday, May 15. The Tartans defeated the Highlanders of the Empire 8 conference 5-0, as the match was played to completion.

A sweep of doubles action gave the young Tartan team what they needed in the second tournament appearance under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mike Belmonte.

The third doubles pair of sophomore Raahil Doshi (Singapore, Singapore / Anglo - Chinese School (Independent), Singapore) and freshman Michael Fourchy (Fresno, Calif. / Clovis North) started things off with an 8-1 win before the second doubles pair of sophomore Matthew Poh (Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa) and freshman Jaden D'Abreo (Portland, Ore. / Jesuit) won 8-1. The first doubles pair of senior Ray Boppana (Boxborough, Mass. / Acton Boxborough Regional) and sophomore Jonathan Nottingham (Philadelphia, Pa. / Masterman High School) then closed out doubles action with an 8-0 win in Boppana's first action since April 2.

The Tartans took the first set in each of the six singles matches with freshman Derek Wong (La Jolla, Calif. / Francis Parker) finishing first at sixth singles by a 6-0, 6-0 score. Doshi then secured the match victory with a 6-0, 6-1 win at fifth singles.

The Tartans, now 10-2 for the year advance to the third round and will face George Fox University on Sunday, May 16 at 9:00 a.m. CT. George Fox won the Northwest Conference to earn entrance to the tournament and defeated Oglethorpe 5-0 to advance to 11-4 for the season. The match-up with the Bruins will mark the first competition between them and the Tartans in school history.

Interview with head coach Mike Belmonte