GAMBIER, Ohio (April 30, 2022) – No. 30 Denison University defeated Oberlin College 5-3 in the semifinals of the 2022 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. With the win, Denison will face off against No. 21 nationally-ranked Kenyon in the NCAC Championship on Sunday in Gambier, Ohio.
It was a matchup between the fifth-ranked team in the ITA Central Region in Denison and No. 15 regionally-ranked Oberlin, but was also the first meeting between the two teams since a 5-3 win for Denison in the 2018 NCAC semifinals, Head Coach
Jamie Scott's first year with the Big Red.
Denison started the match with an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles by
Sydney Cianciola and
Sarah Robertson before dropping both of the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches by equal scores of 8-6.
Despite trailing 2-1 after doubles, the Big Red opened up singles action on a mission, winning each of the first three singles matches to finish to get within one point of advancing.
Susan Biederstedt won first at No. 6 singles, taking it by a score of 6-1, 6-1.
Monique Brual then won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3 singles before a 6-2, 6-2 win by Robertson at No. 2 singles.
Caroline Lopez fell 6-3, 7-5 at No. 5 singles, making it just a one-point match overall before
Hannah Bradvica finished off the day with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles.
Denison improves to 13-7 overall with the win while Oberlin, which began the day as the winners of four straight matches, each against NCAC opponents, fell to 11-10, and will now play in the third-place match tomorrow.
With an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Team Championship on the line, No. 21 Kenyon will host No. 30 Denison starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 1. During the first meeting this season between Kenyon and Denison back on April 20, in Gambier, Ohio, it was the Big Red who came out on top by a close score of 5-4. Denison is seeking its 13th NCAC Championship and the program's first since 2016.
