Men’s tennis hosts local rival St. Thomas tomorrow morning in a match that will determine first place in the MIAC.

A large and passionate crowd is expected to fill the Fieldhouse, better known as “The Jungle,” to give their Scots a boost against the hated Tommies.

Tomorrow’s match has been scheduled as Towel Day, with the first 100 fans receiving Macalester Tennis towels to wave during the match. The giveaway will be an unprecedented event in Macalester athletics history.

Along with the towels, a special emcee will fire up the crowd with player introductions with a specially-installed sound system.

The Scots are hoping to capitalize on their home-court advantage against the Tommies, as Macalester will play St. Thomas on the road for the following two seasons.

There has been a buzz around campus about this match since the men’s basketball team lost to the Tommies, as tomorrow’s showdown will give Macalester a chance to regain Summit Avenue bragging rights.

“I’ve never been more pumped up for a tennis match than I am for this one,” said number two singles player Jake Depue ’04. “I know there’s going to be a lot of fans coming out to the match to pump us up. We want to make The Jungle the toughest place to play in the MIAC.”

The Eberhardt Xtremists, Macalester men’s tennis’ hardcore group of supporters, have been working hard to answer Depue’s call. The Xtremists have advertised this match whenever possible and have a wide array of signs and chants ready for St. Thomas.

“It’s Macalester-St. Thomas. Who could ask for more?,” said head Xtremist Tyler Morken-Simmers ’04. “You know I’m going to be there going nuts. We’re laying everything on the line and leaving it all in the stands. Saturday, 10 a.m., be there! Ya-yeay-yeah!”

The Scots hope to feed from the intimidating atmosphere of The Jungle as they did in their 5-4 comeback win against Bethel on Feb. 23.

“It’s a titanic struggle between two top teams in the MIAC and I expect the crowd to play an integral role,” said team captain R.J. Laukitis ’02. “It’s The Jungle, they’re animals, and they’re expected to behave to the same low standards they set at the Bethel match.”

Scots lose pair in Wisconsin

Macalester began its weekend trip to Wisconsin with a 5-4 loss to St. Ambrose in a classic encounter.

The Scots started off with a win at number three doubles by Depue and Eric Brandt ’05, 8-2. David “The Gorgeous Georgian” Yesilveskiy ’03 and Joseph S. “Joey Jo-Jo” Mayton ’05 fell at number two, 8-3, but the dynamic duo of Laukitis and Senam Gbeho ’04 won a close 8-6 decision at number one doubles to give the Sots a 2-1 lead.

As the match moved on to singles play, the Scots fell apart in the middle of the lineup. Yesilevskiy was defeated by Joe Thierer at number three, 6-3, 6-1. Kale Wafler dominated Mayton at number four, 6-4, 6-1, and Brandt split the first two sets with Nate Lensing at number five before losing 10-5 in the third set super tiebreaker.

Khiem Do Ba ’04, making his varsity debut at number six, kept the Scots alive with an epic 3-6, 6-4 (13-11) win over Joe Jenelthen, trimming the deficit to 4-3.

With only the number one and number two singles matches left, the Scots knew they had to win both matches for the team win. Depue tied the match in dramatic fashion, winning a long rally down match point, 8-9 in the third set super tiebreaker, and came back to win the match, 7-5, 4-6 (11-9).

Alas, ‘twas not to be Macalester’s morning of glory, as Laukitis fell at number one to Ryan McNeill, 6-2, 6-4. “I really had no chance under those circumstances, against my opponent’s blatant cheating,” Laukitis said. “[McNeill] didn’t just slight me, he slighted the entire Macalester community. I feel that St. Ambrose can not only be considered our new rival, but a rival to the entire MIAC.”

In other weekend action, Macalester lost to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 7-0.