GRANVILLE, Ohio -- After a grueling non-conference slate, the Kenyon College men's tennis team opened its North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) campaign with a tough matchup on the road against No. 14-ranked Denison University. The No. 17-ranked Owls put up a fight in singles, but the Big Red prevailed 7-2 in the dual.
Falling in their first NCAC matchup drops Kenyon's overall record to 5-9 this season, while Denison improved to 14-2 (1-0 NCAC). The contest was a rematch of last season's NCAC Tournament, where Denison prevailed 5-3 after Kenyon won the regular-season bout 5-4.
The Big Red got a leg up early after sweeping the three doubles matches. Kenyon's No. 2 duo of Paulo Pocasangre Kreling and Eliezer Gonzalez put up the best fight but fell 8-4. Thomas Kallarakal and Rishil Kondapaneni fell 8-3 in the No. 3 match, while Eric Zhang and Luis Andres Platas went down first at No. 1, 8-0.
Kenyon turned things around and made the singles matches much more competitive. Two of the singles bouts went to a third set, while two more included a tiebreaker, but the Big Red claimed four of the six matches. Platas picked up the Owls' first win in a tightly-contested No. 3 singles match, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The victory made it 4-1 after Denison defeated Zhang at No. 4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
Pocasangre Kerling picked up another point with a strong 6-4, 6-4 decision in the No. 5 match, but the home team had secured the win by the time the Owls got back on the board in the last match of the night. Kallarakal fell 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 at No. 2 as the Big Red clinched the victory. In the No. 1 match, Kondapaneni fought hard to force a third set and nearly prevailed in the deciding set's tiebreaker, but he ultimately fell 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). At No. 6, Rakkan Audeh fell 6-1, 6-1.
The Owls have a chance to bounce back on their home court as they return to Gambier for a stretch of four consecutive home duals. Kenyon's home opener is scheduled for Friday, March 31, as the Owls welcome the No. 34-ranked University of Mary Washington (6-4). The contest kicks off three straight Kenyon game days as the Owls welcome NCAC opponents Ohio Wesleyan University (5-3) and Wittenberg University (3-7) to the Jasper Tennis Center on April 1 and 2.
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