MONMOUTH, Ill. – Cornell's men's tennis team zipped past Illinois College and Monmouth, both via dominant 9-0 outcomes Saturday to clinch a berth in next week's Midwest Conference Team Championships.
 
Coach Trent Schneider's Rams closed the MWC regular season in convincing fashion, posting 9-0 shutouts in each of their final four dual meets.
 
Cornell (11-13 overall) finished third in the final MWC standings at 4-2 to earn a spot in the MWC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The four-team tournament gets underway with semifinal duals at 10 a.m. Friday in Peoria, Ill.
 
First-year August Krahn helped complete Cornell's perfect Saturday with a 5-7, 7-5, 10-3 comeback win at No. 5 singles against Monmouth.
 
Alexander Hadler-Strumlauf (6-0, 6-4), Federico Polidori (6-0, 6-0), Zachary Ong (6-0, 6-1) and Jackson Smock (6-1, 6-0) all won their respective singles matches handily, while Lincoln Rener received a forfeit win at No. 6.
 
The Rams picked up doubles wins from No. 1 partners Hadler-Strumlauf and Polidori (8-3) and No. 2 tandem Ong and Edwin Holyoake (8-2). Bryce Fincher and Michael Koester won by default.
 
Cornell dropped only two doubles games in the opening dual with Illinois College. Hadler-Strumlauf/Polidori and Ong/Smock both rolled 8-0, while Holyoake and Krahn won 8-2.
 
The Rams swept all six singles matches in straight sets. Hadler-Strumlauf (6-4, 6-4), Polidori (6-2, 6-2), Ong (6-1, 6-2), Holyoake (6-3, 6-0), Smock (6-4, 6-4) and Krahn (6-1, 6-1) were all victorious.