Kenyon College Athletics

GAMBIER, Ohio -- Playing at home for the final time this season, the Kenyon College men's tennis team ousted Oberlin College 8-1 outside at the Jasper Tennis Center. The Owls extended their winning streak to four after winning a quartet of duals at home in Gambier.

The victory evened No. 17-ranked Kenyon's record at 9-9 overall and boosted the Owls to a 3-1 mark against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition. Meanwhile, Oberlin fell to 7-6 overall and 1-2 in the NCAC.

Before the contest, Kenyon celebrated senior day to recognize the five graduating Owls: Aidan Biglow, Evan Dean, Thomas Kallarakal, Luis Andres Platas, and Jacob Smith. All three seniors that played singles secured wins, while Platas picked up a doubles victory to go undefeated on the day.

Platas teamed up with Christophe Leblanc to collect Kenyon's largest and first doubles win of dual, an 8-1 decision in the No. 2 spot. Oberlin evened the score with an 8-2 victory in the No. 3 doubles bout, but Paulo Pocasangre Kreling and Eliezer Gonzalez won their second straight No. 1 doubles match after moving up, putting the Owls up 2-1 with an 8-4 victory.

After allowing Oberlin to add a point during doubles, Kenyon locked in and won each singles match in straight sets. Platas (6-0, 6-2) and Pocasangre Kreling (6-2, 6-1) won at No. 2 and 3, respectively, to bring the Owls within one point of clinching the dual. From there, Smith wrapped up a 6-1, 6-3 win in the No. 6 spot to secure Kenyon's fate. 

Kallarakal kept the sweeps going with a competitive 6-2, 6-4 victory in the top singles spot, while Rakkan Audeh was not far behind with a 6-1, 6-2 mark at No. 4. Eric Zhang's No. 5 singles match was the longest and closest of the afternoon, and the sophomore needed to mount a comeback to secure the straight-set win. After cruising to a 6-1 win in set one, Zhang fell behind 5-1 in a second set that appeared to be headed to a third. However, Zhang battled back to send the set to a tiebreaker, which he won 10-7 to clinch his match and an 8-1 dual score for the Owls.

Kenyon has just three duals remaining during their regular-season slate, and the Owls have a quick turnaround as they head to Wooster, Ohio, tomorrow, April 8. The dual against The College of Wooster (4-8, 0-2 NCAC) is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.