Denison freshman Megan Hickey's thrilling three-set victory at fifth singles sent the 23rd-ranked Big Red to a 5-4 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Kenyon on Monday at the Jasper Tennis Center in Gambier, Ohio.

With the match all tied up at 4-4 following Grace Winslow's 6-4, 6-4 win over Sarah Torrence at No. 6 singles, the final decision of the match rested on the shoulders of Hickey and Kenyon's Annie Reiner. The DU freshman grabbed the early lead with a 6-3 victory in the opening set, but a 6-4 decision by Reiner tied that flight at 1-1. With the both teams surrounding the court to watch the final result, Hickey edged out a 6-4 win over Reiner to tip the scale in the Big Red's favor.

The Ladies took the early match lead with an 8-2 win at third doubles. However, the second-flight team of sophomore Courtney Brown and Emma Alsup tied things up by doubling up Diana Aboubakare and Jenna Murray, 8-4. Denison took a 2-1 lead into singles play thanks to an 8-2 win by senior Meg Chiumento and freshman Lauren Hawley over Samantha Murphy and Alyssa Moreau.

Alsup extend the Big Red lead to 3-1 with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 win over Murphy at fourth singles. However, Kenyon was able to rally with a straight-set win at No. 1 singles and a three-set victory at the third flight, tying the match at 3-3. Brown put DU back in front with a three-set win over Murray. The Denison sophomore won the opening set 6-2, but Murray answered with a 7-6 victory in the second. Brown cruised to a 6-1 victory in the third-and-decisive set to put the Big Red up a point. Winslow's straight-set win at sixth singles set the table for Hickey's dramatic win.

With the win, Denison improves to 6-6, while the loss drops Kenyon to 6-7 on the year. The Big Red returns to action on Wednesday when they host Wooster at 4:30 p.m.