Goucher Men's Tennis Diehls Its Way Into The Landmark Conference Championship Game With 5-0 Win Against Susquehanna

BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior Elliot Diehl (York, Pa./York Surburban) wants to leave Goucher College with a fourth ring. The senior is on the pinnacle of reaching his fourth Landmark Conference Men's Tennis Championship crown after clinching the semifinal match against Susquehanna University with a straight sets win at No. 6 singles on Tuesday.

With the win, Goucher will host the University of Scranton in a rematch of last year's championship game on Saturday at the Goucher College Tennis Courts. Match time is 1 p.m. The No. 2 seed Royals advanced by defeating No. 3 Juniata College 5-0 in the other semifinal matchup on Tuesday.

After the Gophers doubles team swept the three doubles matches, Tetsuya Ota (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Saddlebrook Prep) won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles to bring Goucher within one point of advancing to the title bout. Diehl registered a 6-1, 6-0 to seal a 5-0 win for the Baltimore program.

Ota and Michael Herman (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Nova Porg) won at No. 1 doubles 8-2 while Omosesan Adebamgbe (Philadelphia, Pa./Lower Merion) and Slade Dumas (Great Falls, Va./Dominion) took care of business at No. 3 doubles. Diehl and teammate Frankie Mullinix (Washington, D.C./The George School) won the final five games of its No. 2 doubles match for an 8-4 win.

It is the second-straight year that Ota, the 2018 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and all-conference first-team selection, had his singles match count toward a semifinal win against the River Hawks and defeating the same opponent by the identical scores in both seasons. Mullinix won the clinching match last season against Susquehanna.

Dumas was the closest to finishing before Ota and Diehl sealed the win and was leading 6-4, 4-1 before his match was halted at No. 4 singles. Mullinix won the first set at No. 3 singles 6-1 and was on serve, trailing 2-1 when the match was stopped. Brian Kane (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Select) won his first set 6-3 and lost the first game of his No. 5 singles match before Diehl's clincher. Herman also won his first set at No. 2 singles before the match was stopped.

Goucher will be making its fifth-straight Landmark Conference Championship Game appearance and will be looking for its fourth-consecutive title. The Gophers have played Scranton in each of the previous three seasons on its way to the title and have defeated the Royals 5-2 in the last two postseasons after a 5-2 win in the 2017 semifinals and a 5-2 win last year in the title bout. The Gophers are 3-1 in the title game. 

Doubles
1. (GC) Michael Herman/Tetsuya Ota defeats (SU) Alexander Dove/Alexander Cocolos, 8-2
2. (GC) Frankie Mullinix/Elliot Diehl defeats (SU) Benjamin Ornstein/Ryan Seibert, 8-4
3. (GC) Omosesan Adebamgbe/Slade Dumas defeats (SU) Nicholas Meale/Emil Vyskocil, 8-2

Singles
1. (GC) Tetsuya Ota defeats (SU) Benjamin Ornstein, 6-0, 6-0
2. (GC) Michael Herman leads (SU) Andrew Dove, 6-3, 0-0, unfinished
3. (GC) Frankie Mullinix leads (SU) Nicholas Meale, 6-1, 1-2, unfinished
4. (GC) Slade Dumas leads (SU) Alexander Cocolos, 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
5. (GC) Brian Kane leads (SU) Ryan Seibert, 6-3, 0-1, unfinished
6. (GC) Elliot Diehl defeats (SU) Ashton Collins, 6-1, 6-0