PASADENA, Calif. – It took over four hours and the maximum number of singles sets, but in the end Caltech outlasted the University of the South (Sewanee) and won by a 5-4 mark, improving the team's record to 4-0.

The visiting Tigers picked up an early point in the first doubles matchup, but the Beaver duo of junior Ishaan Kannan and first-year Andrew Zabelo evened things out with an 8-5 set win, followed shortly by seniors Rishi Gundakaram and Nathan Zou on court three who rallied from 4-1 and 5-2 deficits to come all the way back.

Then, in the closest match in recent Caltech history, every player in the six singles pairings won a set, requiring a decisive third set on every court. While Gundakaram raced ahead with a 6-1 first set win in #6 singles, every other first set required a 7-point tiebreak. The Beavers ended up claiming five of the six first sets, including a stellar comeback by Kannan on court two, who rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win 7-6 (4).

Zabelo in #3 Singles and junior Victor Li in #5 Singles even battled to 6-6 ties in their tiebreaks, thus requiring an eight points as the winner must lead by a minimum of two points. While Zabelo dropped his tiebreak by an 8-6 score, resulting in a 7-6 first set loss, he stormed back with a 6-1 win in his second set. Unfortunately, the other five sets all belonged to the visiting Tigers, so the day continued.

Sewanee picked up wins on courts four and six to take a 3-2 lead in the match before Kannan evened out a 6-4 second set loss with a 6-4 win to claim the #2 Singles victory, and the teams were tied at 3-3. Doubles partner Zabelo then completed his 6-3 third set win to put the Beavers back on top, just one match point away from clinching.

Finally, after requiring another tiebreak in the second set and conceding a 7-6 (4) score, it was Li who triumphed with a 6-4 deciding set win to defend his team's undefeated start to the season. It was his second clincher in as many matches.

"I'm incredibly proud of this team," Head Coach Matt Brisotti said, making note of an amazing effort by junior Kyle McCandless, who claimed a set in Singles against Sewanee's Charley North, ranked sixth in the nation. "It was a really good team effort, and everyone contributed. It's great to see what may be the best men's tennis team in Caltech history, and I'm incredibly thankful for all the support from our department and its amazing support staff."

Caltech is currently ranked 13th in NCAA Division III in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll.

The Beavers take on Whitman College this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on the Caltech courts. Watch courts 1-4 live on Track.Tennis and track the live scores on Sidearm Stats.