As the Eberhardt Xtremist Xpress cruised down Snelling Ave. on a blustery Friday afternoon, the MIAC's most dedicated fan club did not know what to expect from their beaten and beloved men's tennis warriors.

The opening week loss to St. Mary's had slightly dampened their spirits but the Xtremists were still full of optimism. Although it was Valentine's Day, Mac's fans had little interest in roses, chocolate or sex—they drove to Arden Hills for great tennis, and great tennis is what they got.

A much needed 6–3 win over rivals Bethel puts the Scots back at .500 in conference play and into the thick of the MIAC title chase.

Even after most MIAC teams have played two matches, the race for the championship is too close to call. But after putting together a one-game conference winning streak, the Scots are sending a stern message to the rest of the MIAC: the road to the conference championship will go through The Jungle (the men's indoor tennis courts).

The Scots set the tone early by winning two of the three doubles matches. Number one doubles team Peter Loken '03 and Nick "Worthless" Werth '06 were stone-cold, trouncing Nick Scheevel and Peter Brulle, 8–3. The number three team of Jake Depue '04 and Josh Fogt '03 continued their MIAC domination with an 8–5 win over Chris Brewer and Josh Widen.

Unlike last week's match, the Scots dominated singles play after taking the lead in doubles. At number four singles, David "The Georgian Juggernaut" Yesilevskiy '03 disposed of Brewer with the greatest of ease, 6–1, 6–2. Number six Eric "E-Town" Brandt '05 gave the Scots a 4–1 lead with a grueling 6–4, 6–3 win over Widen.

"The key to my win … uh … definitely my intensity on the court," Brandt said during an interview this week. "[Widen] was … God I just woke up … consistency … I don't know just make something crazy up … say that I had like a military strategy out there … or, I don't know … it was Friday night, and I was in a fighting mood."

"Just make something up," Brandt added.

One loss away from defeat, Bethel staved off early elimination as their number three Brulle fought off several of Werth's match points before winning 15–13 in a marathon third set supertiebreaker. However, when number two singles player Loken walked off the court after a 10–8 superbreaker win over Joe Dutcher, Macalester sealed the team win.

As the players were going crazy, celebrating with the fans at Bethel's Sports and Recreation Center, Depue and Spencer Edelman '06 remained on the court to finish their matches. Edelman, perhaps overexcited by the team's win, fell at number five to Aaron Freer, 6–4, 6–4. The veteran Depue, however, was all business, winning a close 7–6(4), 6–4 match at number one singles against Scheevel.

"I gave it 110 percent," Depue said after the match. "At some points it was like 109 or 108, but then at other times it was in the 112–115 range. I guess for mean, though, you'd have to go with like 110."

In other weekend action, the Scots fell to seventh-ranked Wheaton (Ill.) last Saturday, 8–1. The lone highlight for the Scots was another win at number one doubles for Loken and Werth, 8–3. After Saturday's match, the players held a session at the hotel to discuss how they would bounce back the next day against 12th-ranked Carthage (Wisc.). Though the team bonding may help in the long run, the Scots were on the short end of another lopsided score after a 9–0 shutout to Carthage.