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Media Credit: Angeli Bueno Senior Rafael Roberti lays down a forearm shot. Roberti picked up two wins ths weekend, each by at least a margin of four.

Extending a winning streak to eight events came with something extra for the men's tennis team to celebrate.

By shutting out the Dickinson Red Devils on Saturday and beating the Swarthmore Garnets 7-2 to close out their regular season on Sunday, the Jays swept the Centennial Conference for the second year in a row.

"I was interested to see how we responded this season after last year," head coach Chuck Willenborg said. "I was proud of the way we have prepared and the way we have played. One of our goals was to get the home court advantage and play the [Centennial Conference Tournament] where we haven't lost in a few years."

On top of forcing their Conference foes to come and play on Blue Jay turf next weekend, the team most importantly kept their momentum going and built confidence in their ability to move on to face the tougher national opponents in the weeks to come.

"Winning showed our continued domination over our Conference and our readiness for the NCAA tournament in May," sophomore Peter Vale said.

Vale accentuated the recent team achievement on an individual level, almost having a perfect Conference record himself. His one loss came against the Garnets, but the close 6-4, 6-4 defeat right before the playoffs doesn't phase him.

"I feel great knowing I helped the team," Vale said. "I did not play as well [against Swarthmore] as I have been, but I think it was just an off day for me."

Freshman Casey Blythe was able to end his year on an extremely high note, breaking the Hopkins record for most wins by a freshman after taking two matches this weekend to bring his total to 19 victories.

"It means a lot to have such a mark, but I hope to continue this in coming years as our team continues to get better," Blythe said.

Blythe had a comfortable time on the court against the Red Devils, going 6-3, 6-2 but felt a little heat against Swarthmore. He and his partner senior Joe Vasoontara lost the first Blythe had a comfortable time on the court against the Red Devils, going 6-3, 6-2 but felt a little heat against Swarthmore. He and his partner senior Joe Vasoontara lost the first doubles match on the day to the Garnets by two points.

Continued...

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