BOX SCORE

HAVERFORD, Pa.–The 27th-ranked Swarthmore College men's tennis team bested the Haverford College Fords by a 6-3 score on Tuesday, April 25 for its eighth consecutive win over Centennial Conference opponents.

Swarthmore cannot finish lower than second in the league and can clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs for the second straight season with a win over nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins on Saturday, April 29.

Against the Fords, John Larkin and Blake Oetting continued their solid play at third doubles with an 8-4 win before Mark Fallati and Josh Powell achieved an 8-5 result at the top spot for a 2-1 advantage heading into singles.

At no. 1, Fallati rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win and Larkin faced little resistance in a 6-1, 6-0 rout in the second flight. The Fords took the next two matches, however, and trailed just 4-3 with two matches left to go. Ari Cepelewicz battled for a 6-4, 6-4 victory to clinch the match and Michael Song followed suit with a 7-6(7), 6-1 win at the sixth spot.

Swarthmore hosts the Hopkins Blue Jays on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on Faulkner Courts with the top seed in the Centennial postseason on the line.