MADISON, Wis. - The Grinnell College men's tennis team will seek its ninth Midwest Conference title in a row this weekend when the Pioneers head to the Nielsen Center in Madison, Wis., for the 2012 league meet.

Grinnell, 22-6 overall, is the top seed in the MWC South Division and will face St. Norbert College in the first round at 9 a.m. Friday. St. Norbert, 5-12, is the No. 2 seed from the North.

In the other first-round match, No. 1 North seed Carroll University (9-5) meets No. 2 South seed Monmouth (13-10). The winners meet at 1 p.m. for the MWC crown, with the champ advancing to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

The meet continues Saturday with the singles tournament and concludes Sunday with doubles play.

Last year, Grinnell's Ishan Bhadkamkar '13 won the No. 5 singles title and Daniel Nellis '13 was the champ at the No. 6 spot. Additionally, Bhadkamkar was a member of the No. 3 doubles championship team.

Eric Ritter '12 was the No. 5 singles champ in 2010 and 2009, Bhadkamkar won No. 6 singles in 2010 and was a member of the No. 2 doubles championship team the same year. Also in 2010, Michael Cole '12 and Colin Johnson '13 won No. 3 doubles.

2012 Midwest Conference Championships Page