Senior Kristin Cobb won a three-set decision over Janelle Arita to propel the sixth-ranked Big Red to a thrilling 5-4 victory over No. 17 DePauw in third round of the NCAA Tournament in Greencastle, Ind.
With the win, Denison secured their seventh NCAA Quarterfinal berth in the last eight years. The Big Red also improved to 4-1 over the Tigers in NCAA Tournament competition, and tied the all-time series at 14-14.
With the score knotted at 4-4, it was fitting that the deciding match came at No. 1 singles and featured a pair of regionally-ranked seniors in Cobb and Arita. Cobb, ranked fourth in the region, opened the first set with four-straight games en route to securing a 6-2 victory. In the second set, the DU senior scored three-consecutive games on her way to erasing a 2-0 deficit and taking a 3-2 edge. However, Arita, ranked third in the region, scored four of the next five games to take the second set, 6-4. Cobb took the early lead in the third and final set, but Arita answered to tie the match at 1-1. The two seniors traded off runs which pushed the set score to 3-3. The Dayton native closed the set out with a three-game run that punched Denison's ticket to the NCAA Quarterfinals in Claremont, Calif.
With the victory, Cobb improved to 19-7 overall and 3-2 against regionally-ranked foes. She also extended her current winning streak to five matches.
The second doubles team of Kelsey Geppner and Alex Marcell opened the match with an 8-4 victory over the Tigers' Elizabeth Young and Meg Crowley. Denison took a 2-0 edge after winning the battle of regionally-ranked opponents at No. 1 doubles. Second-ranked Cobb and Sarah Short took a commanding 6-1 lead over seventh-ranked Arita and Kelly Gebert. The DePauw team shrunk the margin to 7-3, but the Denison duo closed out the flight with an 8-3 win. The Tigers broke up the shutout with an 8-5 win at third doubles.
DePauw tied the match at 2-2 with a straight-set victory at No. 6 singles (6-4, 6-1). DU regained a one-point lead thanks to a fifth-singles win by junior Kate Westenberger. The junior posted a dominating 6-2 win in the first set, while the second set was tightly contested. After a back-and-forth beginning, Westenberger rattled off three-consecutive games to secure a 6-3 win.
Marcell put the Big Red one point away from a berth into the NCAA's round of eight with a 6-3, 7-5 decision at the fourth flight. The sophomore cruised to victory in the opening set and won a battle of attrition over Crowley in the second set. Gebert and Tricia Wilks posted three-set victories at second and third singles, respectively, to tie the match at 4-4.
The Big Red improves to 18-4 overall, while the Tigers end their season with a 14-10 record. Denison returns to the hard court on May 24 in Claremont, Calif. DU will take on fourth-ranked Chicago at a time to be determined.
