CHICAGO – Denison men's tennis closed out their NCAA Tournament run on Saturday as the 27
th-ranked Big Red suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to No. 13 Gustavus Adolphus College in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
Making their first national tournament appearance since 2006, the Big Red looked to rally from an early 2-1 deficit entering singles play. Denison's comeback started in the top flight when
Tim Cianciola, the top-ranked player in the central region, tallied a 6-1, 6-1 straight-set victory over Gustavus Adolphus' Nick Aney to even the match at 2-2. The Big Red then took the lead in No. 5 singles when
Andy Mackler recorded back-to-back wins over Caleb Fridinger, 6-3, 6-2, to go ahead of the Gusties, 3-2.
Following a win for GAC in the second flight of singles, Denison added another win in No. 4 singles when sophomore
Jack Bulger took down Alex Budde in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, sending the Big Red back in front, 4-3.
Despite DU's rally, the Gusties tied the match in the third flight when Daniel Fouchier topped
Marc-Lennart Harms 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, leaving the match up to Denison's
Daniel Garcia and GAC's Jackson Bergmeyer in No. 6 singles.
After Garcia rallied to take the first set, 7-6, Bergmeyer responded in the second set with a 6-3 win to even the match at one set apiece. With a trip to the NCAA third round on the line, Bergmeyer posted a 6-2 win in the final set as Gustavus Adolphus handed the Big Red their third loss of the season and advanced to Sunday's third round.
Denison ended their 2021 season at 10-3 overall and 6-0 against NCAC East competition. The Big Red also captured their first NCAC Championship and NCAA Tournament bid since 2006. Junior
Tim Cianciola also earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Singles Championship on May 28-30 and was named the NCAC Player of the Year. Head Coach David Schilling was named the NCAC Coach of the Year and Cianciola joined Bulger as the NCAC Doubles Team of the Year.
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