http://miac-online.org/news/2013/5/2/MTEN_0502131034.aspx

ST. PETER, Minn. -- The Gustavus Adolphus College men's tennis team made history last week when they wrapped up their 25th-straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season championship. Now, Head Coach Tommy Valentini and his squad will try to keep another impressive streak alive as his team is the top seed and host for the 2013 MIAC Men's Tennis Playoffs, which open Friday in St. Peter, Minn.

Valentini's crew completed a perfect 9-0 MIAC campaign to lock up a quarter-century of dominance in the league, and take a 22-9 record into the six-team, single-elimination tournament. The MIAC Playoffs began their current format in 2007, and since then Gustavus has won five of the six titles as the top seed, including the last two. Again seeded No. 1, the Gusties will receive a bye into the semifinals, as will second-seeded Carleton (14-5, 8-1 MIAC), which suffered its only MIAC defeat of the season to the hands of the 25-time defending champs. The top two are no stranger to the MIAC Playoffs, as Carleton has met Gustavus in five of the six championship matches, including each of the last three, and the Knights won the only Playoff title Gustavus hasn't claimed in 2010.

St. Thomas (10-5, 7-2 MIAC) only lost to Gustavus and Carleton during the 2013 regular season and claimed the No. 3 seed in the Playoffs. St. Olaf (6-6, 5-4 MIAC) used a final-day win over Macalester to not only cement its postseason bid, but it leapt all the way to the fourth seed in the process. Saint John's (6-11, 5-4 MIAC) finished above .500 in conference play to earn the No. 5 seed in the tournament, and Saint Mary's (17-6, 4-5 MIAC) parlayed a tremendous 13-1 nonconference record into success within the league as well to claim the sixth and final bid.

Once again, Gustavus will be the prohibitive favorite between its perfect regular-season in the league, and its home-court advantage. The Gusties have gotten contributions from a number of talented players this season including Mya Smith-Dennis, who has five wins in conference play in the top singles spot. Joey MacGibbon has contributed up and down the lineup. Grant Liesner has also found success playing at No. 1 with four wins against MIAC foes and Marcel Gyswyt, Tyler Johnson and Amrik Donkena also make the Gustavus lineup incredibly dangerous.

Carleton also has plenty of talent on its roster to make a run at its second MIAC Playoff title, and fourth time in a row. Alexander Chin has been great at the top of the Knights' lineup, and Paul Cooper has provided stability in the middle spots. Austin Jiang and Christian Nagy have also had an imprint on Carleton's success, and the Knights may be one of the only teams in the league who can match Gustavus' talent and depth from top to bottom.

However, St. Thomas and Carleton could be a tremendous semifinal matchup if the Tommies can advance to Saturday's action. UST has a veteran lineup with a number of talented players, led by stalwarts Brian McCarthy, Brendan O'Connell and Mitchell Blackey. Brady Radermacher, Steven Skanse and Allen-Michael Muench add depth to a St. Thomas lineup that could be poised to make a run to the title match this weekend as well.

Fourth-seeded St. Olaf has talented Stephen Nolan anchoring the top of its lineup, with a combined seven conference wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles this season. Andy Catania has been influential to the Oles success as well, as they try to carry their momentum into the postseason. Saint John's is led by perhaps the top individual player in the league, as star Fabricio Moncada led the conference with eight wins at No. 1 singles. Willie Paul has also been an important contributor to the Johnnies in 2013. Saint Mary's also has a tremendous player at No. 1 singles in Michael Lunka, and Sam Puff and bobby Steingraeber give the Cardinals a trio of talented leaders as they prepare for the MIAC Playoffs.

The two quarterfinal matches will simultaneously take place Friday at noon on the Gustavus campus, with No. 3 St. Thomas taking on No. 6 Saint Mary's and St. Olaf meeting Saint John's in a No. 4-5 collision. The two winners will advance to Saturday's semifinals, which are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. The highest remaining seed will face Carleton and the lowest remaining seed will take on Gustavus. The two semifinal winners meet for the title at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with the winner receiving the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships.

The host school, Gustavus, will offer live results throughout the course of the tournament. Links to live scores, as well as complete schedules, results, stats, recaps, photos, team information and more can be found on the 2013 MIAC Men's Tennis Playoffs web site. Fans can also connect and interact during the tournament on the MIAC's Facebook page, and on Twitter (@MIAConline) using the hashtags #MIACtennis and #MIACPlayoffs.

2013 MIAC Men's Tennis Playoffs
Quarterfinals: Friday, May 3, 2013
No. 3 St. Thomas vs. No. 6 Saint Mary's | 12 p.m. | Live Results |
No. 4 St. Olaf vs. No. 5 Saint John's | 12 p.m. | Live Results |

Semifinals: Saturday, May 4, 2013
No. 1 Gustavus vs. lowest remaining seed | 9 a.m. |
No. 2 Carleton vs. highest remaining seed | 9 a.m. |

Championship: Saturday, May 4, 2013
Semifinal winners | 2:30 p.m. |

*Playoff Champion earns the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament
**All matches will be hosted outdoors on the Brown courts if weather permits. Should inclement weather occur, matches will be moved indoors to the Swanson courts.