Azusa, Calif.-- The APU men's tennis team pulled out an impressive 4-3 win over the defending 2018 Division III champions Middlebury Tuesday afternoon, with Ryan Nuno coming through in the clutch with a third-set tiebreaker to lift the Cougars to victory at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Courts. APU improves 16-1 on the season with the stunning victory.

Doubles play saw APU's Ethan Smith and Ronald Kang sprint to a 6-2 win that got the Cougars an early life. Their win on court three over Xiao/ Samets would be followed by an answering shot from the Panthers on court two, where Farrell/ Martin topped Cougars Ryan Nuno and Leyton Bohren 7-6 (3). That brought it down to court one, where Middlebury's Cuba/ Eazor topped Jakob Schnaitter and Jesse Haas with a 7-6 (5) win to pocket the opening point. 

In singles, APU snagged the first set on court three to turn up the pressure on the Panthers with a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory from Ronald Kang. Middlebury retaliated with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Leyton Bohren at court four before APU's Jesse Haas topped his opponent 6-4, 6-1 to even up the score at the No. 5 spot. The Panthers got back on board at the No. 6 position, downing APU's Marnix Pluim 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. For the Cougars, #13 Jakob Schnaitter got it even again at the top spot with a crucial 6-1, 6-7 (4), 7-5 victory to put the decider on court two. With all eyes at the No. 2 slot, Ryan Nuno powered his way to a 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory to lock up a 4-3 win for the Cougars. 

The Cougars will return to the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Courts Wednesday, March 27 for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Hawai'i Hilo.