Owls tag Tigers to improve to 2-0 against NCAC foes

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Kenyon College Owls tallied a second straight North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory with a 9-0 sweep against the Wittenberg University Tigers. No. 26-ranked Kenyon won all but 14 of the 110 games they played against the hosting Tigers, wrapping up a three-dual weekend with back-to-back wins.

The victory boosted Kenyon’s record to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC. Wittenberg fell to 1-13 with the loss, and the Tigers are 0-2 in league play.

Kenyon’s toughest tests came from the top of the Tigers lineup. However, Paulo Pocasangre Kreling was up to the task in both doubles and singles. The sophomore paired with senior Harshal Rukhaiyar to post an 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles before staying unbeaten on the day with a 6-3, 6-0 win in the top singles spot.

The Owls did not allow the Tigers to take more than two games in any of the other singles or doubles matches. Rishil Kondapaneni and Eric Zhang won 8-0 in the No. 3 doubles match before posting matching 6-1, 6-0 scores in their respective singles bouts. Rakkan Audeh matched the pair with a 6-1, 6-0 singles win, and first-year Alejandro Gonzalez garnered the best individual finish when he whipped up a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the No. 3 singles match.

Eliezer Gonzalez and Christophe Leblanc added an 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles, their first time pairing up this season. Gianluca Bocanegra, a first-year, rounded out Kenyon’s results with a 6-1, 6-1 sweep in the No. 4 singles spot.

Kenyon will hope its momentum carries over as the team faces a pair of ranked opponents in its next two matchups. The Owls open the week by welcoming No. 12-ranked Denison University for a rematch of last year’s tightly contested NCAC Tournament Championship match. The conference clash is set to start at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. Following that rivalry match, Kenyon will host No. 37 Carnegie Mellon University at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 12. The duals will be the first time the Owls have played at home in Gambier this season, and they start a stretch of five of the team’s final six regular-season matchups that will be played at home at the Jasper Tennis Center.