BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa.–With a 5-0 win over the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats, the Swarthmore College men's tennis team (15-5) advanced to the Centennial Conference final for the fourth time in five seasons on Saturday, May 7.

The Garnet led 3-0 after doubles with quick wins at each position. John Larkin and Blake Oetting continued their strong season by picking up the first point with an 8-3 win over Zack Levin and Isaac Salas at no. 3. The regionally-ranked team of sophomores Mark Fallati and Josh Powell followed suit at no. 1, handing Doug Kaplan and Jack Rothman an 8-2 defeat. Simon Vernier and Ari Cepelewicz completed the sweep by defeating Inigo Flores and Vasant Rajamanickam in an 8-4 decision.

Early in the singles matches, a bout of unexpected rain moved the proceedings indoor to the Mullan Tennis Center. Larkin cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Levin at second singles and Cepelewicz clinched the match for Swarthmore by taking down Rothman, 6-3, 6-3. Fallati dropped the first set, but evened things up in the second just before the match was called.

Top-seeded Swarthmore will face a familiar opponent on Sunday, May 8 as it takes on Johns Hopkins in a rematch of the last two Centennial tournament finals. Action is scheduled to take place on Faulkner Courts at 2:00 p.m.