Monmouth stayed in the hunt for one of four Midwest Conference Men's Tennis Team Championship berths with a Saturday split.
     
The Scots opened play with a 7-2 win over Ripon before falling 6-3 to Lake Forest in the afternoon. Monmouth blew through Ripon's doubles, taking a 3-0 lead when Alex Martin and Nicholas Robertson edged the Red Hawks 8-6 at No. 3.
     
Monmouth's top three singles, Joseph Shie, Andrew Shie and Zach Harris, took straight set wins while Martin at No. 4 went the limit with a 6-7, 6-4, 10-5 win. Brendan Guenther was outlasted at No. 5 6-2, 2-6, 12-10. Robertson suffered a similar fate at No. 6 where he dropped a 6-3, 4-6, 10-3 decision.
     
The doubles matches all went Lake Forest's way in the afternoon match, but the Scots rallied back with a trio of singles wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Joseph Shie and Harris took straight set wins at No. 1 and 3, but it was a three-setter for Andrew Shie at No. 2. After winning Set 1, 6-2, Shie dropped a 4-6 second set, but came back for the win with a 10-5 Set 3 win.
     
The Scots travel to Illinois College for a Sunday match at 2 p.m.