For the second straight day, the No. 2-ranked Emory men's tennis team staved off a hard-charging opponent, coming away with a nerve-wracking win against No. 3-ranked Williams College in the semifinal round of the NCAA D-III Championships in Cary, NC.   The Eagles raised their overall record to 24-0 following a 5-4 decision over the Ephs who closed out their season with a ledger of 18-3.  With the victory, Emory advances to the title match on Wednesday morning (May 23) at 9:00 a.m., where it will face No. 4 Kenyon College

Freshman Ian Wagner provided the heroics for Emory on Tuesday, claiming a three-set tug-of-war against Matt Micheli, 6-7, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 3 singles that closed out the match and stopped the furious comeback attempt by Williams.    The win was Wagner's 10^th in his last 11 matches and raised his overall record to 20-3 this spring (11-2 at No. 3).   Wagner was also involved in another pivotal match when he and junior Elliott Kahler rallied from a 2-5 deficit to earn an 8-6 decision at No. 2 doubles that gave Emory a 2-1 edge in the contest.    The Eagles captured their other doubles point at No. 3 with senior Dillon Pottish and freshman Brian Kowalski breezing to an 8-3 triumph,  boosting their spring ledger to 14-0.

Emory bolted out to a 4-1 advantage in the match thanks to wins at Nos. 6 and 4 singles, respectively.  Freshman Alex Ruderman came away with a 6-2, 6-0 verdict over Will Petrie at No. 6 while classmate Brian Kowalski notched a 6-2, 6-4 outcome over Zach Weiss at No. 4.   However, Williams then began its rally, starting at second singles where Felix Sun battled to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over the Eagles' Chris Goodwin.   The Ephs drew to within 4-3 after Pottish retired at the start of the third set at No. 1 singles.    Williams then tied the match at No. 5 singles as a result of Bryan Chow's three-set decision over Eric Halpern, setting the stage for the result of No. 3 singles to conclude.

Emory will be aiming to bring home its third national title on Wednesday, having captured the championship in 2003 and 2006.  The Eagles finished runner-up at the NCAAs last year, coming up short in the finals to Amherst.    Kenyon advanced to Wednesday's action following a 5-2 win over Washington University in the semis that raised its record to 24-4.   The Lords have won their last 13 matches with their last setback coming against Emory on March 16.