Saint John's tennis ends its 2021 regular-season schedule with two home matches this weekend at the Chang Tennis Complex, beginning with a 4:30 p.m. bout with Carleton on Friday, April 30. The Johnnies host Macalester at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 2.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (6-3, 4-3 MIAC) returned to the win column with a 6-3 non-conference victory at St. Scholastica yesterday (April 28) in Duluth. The difference was at doubles, where the Johnnies swept all three bouts as the two teams split the six singles matches.

Senior Thomas Gillach (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) and sophomore Wil McDowell (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) improved to 6-2 at No. 1 doubles with an 8-6 win, while freshman Will Deters (Minneapolis, Minn./Wayzata) and sophomore Hunter Fischer (Spicer, Minn./Willmar) matched the 8-6 decision at No. 2.

The freshman duo of Ian Aadland (Brainerd, Minn.) and Mark Rosen (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) won at No. 3, 8-4. McDowell cruised to a win at No. 2, 6-1 and 6-0, to increase his team-best mark to 7-2 in singles play.

Sophomore Peyton Fischer (Spicer, Minn./Willmar) posted a victory at No. 3 via the super-breaker (4-6, 6-4, 10-8), while his brother Will won the Johnnies' other singles match at No. 6, 6-3 and 7-6 (7-3).

The Saints won at Nos. 1, 4 and 5 singles. Freshman Mike Krasowski (Wausau, Wis./East) suffered a hard-fought defeat at No. 5: 6-3, 3-6, 12-10.

A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Carleton (5-1, 4-1 MIAC) blanked Bethel with a 9-0 score yesterday (April 28) in Northfield. Senior Leo Vithoontien is 5-0 (4-0 MIAC) at No. 1 singles. The Knights have played four or more student-athletes each at Nos. 3-6 singles this spring.

TWO YEARS AGO: SJU suffered a 9-0 loss to Carleton in the 2019 regular-season finale on April 28 indoors in Lakeville and ended its season with an 8-1 defeat to the Knights four days later in the MIAC semifinals in Northfield. Gillach and Jordre won the lone match for the Johnnies with an 8-6 upset at No. 1 doubles over the Knights' Jordon O'Kelly and Vithoontien, who were the third-ranked doubles team in the Central Region at the time.

SERIES HISTORY: The Knights have won each of the last 21 meetings since the Johnnies' last win in the series on April 6, 2002, in Collegeville (6-3).

A LOOK AT THE SCOTS: Macalester (5-1, 5-1 MIAC) earned its fifth straight victory with a 9-0 shutout of Concordia last Sunday (April 25) indoors in Bloomington. The Scots host St. Thomas today (April 29) and visit Carleton Saturday before making Sunday's trip to Collegeville for the regular-season finale. Senior Sam Hochberger (No. 1), junior Jeffrey Jorgensen (No. 2) and sophomore Matthew Sullivan (No. 5) are all 5-1 in singles play.

IN 2019: SJU suffered a narrow 5-4 loss to regionally ranked Macalester the last time these two teams met on March 31, 2019, at Sta-Fit in Sartell. The Johnnies cruised to two doubles wins but mustered only two wins in the six singles matches in the defeat. Ryan Meger '19 and Jonah Punnoose '19 won at Nos. 3 (6-4, 6-0) and 4 (6-3, 6-4) singles, and teamed up to post an 8-3 victory at No. 2 doubles.

Gillach and Jordre recorded SJU's other win at No. 1 doubles (8-2). Gillach dropped his singles match at No. 2 via the super-breaker: 6-2, 1-6 and 10-3.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 24-9 against the scots since 1989, including a 13-1 record in Collegeville. The win in 2019 was the first for Macalester over SJU since 2012; which was the third of three straight 5-4 victories over the Johnnies. The last time the Scots defeated SJU by a score other than 5-4 was 2000 (6-1).