NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- The George Fox men's tennis season continues after a hard-fought Sweet 16 win over the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, 5-4, to push the Bruins into the Elite Eight.

How It Happened

The Bruins won their way through their regional pod with a 5-0 sweep against Oglethorpe and the 5-4 victory today over the Tartans.

The Bruins took two of the three doubles flights to start the match up 2-1. Luke Lemaitre and Will Leach won their no. 1 pairing, 8-4, after saving five break points and winning three more. Rox Rogers and Hunter Fujimori fought hard in an 8-5 decision that went to the Tartans at no. 2 doubles. Camden Camacho and Vahag Pashayan fell behind, 7-4, before winning three straight to force a tiebreak that they captured with a 7-5 to win, 8-7 (5). That never-quit mentality and the point it gave to Fox would prove crucial to the Bruins' team win on the day, providing both a team point and momentum heading into singles.

In singles, the match all came down to a final court, just as it did for the Bruins' NWC Tournament win over Pacific.

The Tartans were able to win the nos. 3, 4, & 5 singles courts to pull ahead in the match, 3-2. Rogers, Pashayan, and Alle Banna all fought hard in their matchups, and Pashayan went to a third set at no. 3 singles before falling 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. 

Leach won his first set via tiebreak and then cruised through the second set to give the Bruins another team tally with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win at no. 2 singles and tied the match at 3-3. Camacho gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead in the match with a 6-3, 7-5 win at no. 6 singles. The Tartans tied it up with the win at no. 3, but Lemaitre continued to grind away at his no. 1 singles matchup with a 7-6 (7-0) win in his first singles set. He was able to break his opponent in set two with a 6-0 win to clinch the match and send the Bruins to the Elite Eight round of NCAA competition as the Bruins stormed the court to celebrate.

Their Thoughts

"All the credit to Carnegie Mellon, their team and their coaching staff; they played a great match and it was a battle," Coach Jeff Cero said after the win. "I was really impressed with doubles, especially Vahag and Camden after being down two match points - that turned out to be a massive difference in the match [and gave us] momentum going into singles."

"[My matchup at no. 1 singles] was really tough, we were really going back and forth," Lemaitre said afterward. "I had some opportunities to break away, I had him 3-1 and he fought back. I expected him to be a good player, there's a reason he's playing [at no. 1]... I was up 6-5, he got the game to 6-all, and I just had more in the tank in a dogfight where we were fortunate to pull through."

What It Means

In their first-ever NCAA appearance, the Bruins have won their way into the quarterfinal bracket hosted by the Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Bruins will face Washington University (Mo.) in the quarterfinal. George Fox improves to 12-4 on the year with the win and eliminated the Tartans with a 10-3 overall record.

What Happens Next

The Bruins will return home for a week to rest and prep for the next round of NCAA competition before returning to Tennessee for the team and individual championship matchups on May 24-30. The team events will start on May 24 with the championship slated for May 26, and the individual championship events will commence on May 28-30.