Granville, Ohio- Collecting their fifth straight North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title and 12th championship overall, the No. 2 Denison men's tennis team battled the No. 13 Kenyon to a tightly contested 4-1 victory. Kenyon wraps its season with an overall record of 18-5, while Denison improves to 23-2 and earns the automatic bid to the NCAA men's tennis tournament.

Denison opened the championship match hot. Jacob Patterson and Colin Gramley earned the first doubles win after defeating Kenyon's Josh Finkle and Eric Zhang 6-1 on court two. Courts one and three wrapped practically simultaneously; however, court one was recorded with the clinch, after Ethan Green and Kael Shah beat the Owls' Paulo Pocasangre and Alejandro Gonzalez 6-2. 

With a 1-0 lead, the Denison Big Red held tight to its momentum. Ethan Green extended the Big Red's lead to two after defeating Kenyon's Paulo Pocasangre 6-2, 6-2 on court one. Kenyon tacked on its lone win of the afternoon on court two after Alejandro Gonzalez beat Jacob Patterson 6-2, 6-2. On court four, Nick Meyers gave Denison a two-match cushion over the Owls after beating Juozas Cioladis by a decision of 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile, on court four, Kael Shah traded points with Kenyon's Rishil Kondapaneni, edging him out 7-6 (7-1) in set one. In set two, Kondapaneni strung a series of points to go up 6-5; however, on court five, Andreas Chapides found his stride early and clinched the 4-1 victory over the Owls after beating Eric Zhang 6-2, 6-2.

After the championship match, head coach David Schilling stated, " I'm really proud of the guys. There's a lot of pressure on us throughout the year, and the players really seem to step up in different ways each week." Schilling shared that, "they have an incredible resiliency to them and an ability to be selfless for the betterment of the team. This is a really special team. We do, however, have plenty of work to do. I know this team has very big goals, and we will start to strive to reach these goals, beginning next weekend."

Up Next:
With today's win, the No. 2 Denison men's tennis team earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament. Stay tuned for more information on location and times; Regionals are set to start on May 8th.


#2 Denison University 4, #13 Kenyon College 1

Singles competition
1. #5 Ethan Green (DENM) def. #18 Paulo Pocasangre (KENM) 6-2, 6-2
2. Alejandro Gonzalez (KENM) def. #19 Jacob Patterson (DENM) 6-2, 6-2
3. #2 Kael Shah (DENM) vs. Rishil Kondapaneni (KENM) 7-6 (7-1), 6-6, unfinished
4. Nick Meyers (DENM) def. Juozas Cioladis (KENM) 6-4, 6-1
5. Andreas Chapides (DENM) def. Eric Zhang (KENM) 6-2, 6-2
6. Anthony Payiavlas (DENM) vs. Rakkan Audeh (KENM) 5-3, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Ethan Green/Kael Shah (DENM) def. Paulo Pocasangre/Alejandro Gonzalez (KENM) 6-2
2. Colin Gramley/Jacob Patterson (DENM) def. Josh Finkle/Eric Zhang (KENM) 6-1
3. Andreas Chapides/Nick Meyers (DENM) def. Gianluca Bocanegra/Rishil Kondapaneni (KENM) 6-2

Match Notes:
Denison University: 23-2 (7-0 NCAC), national ranking No. 2 
Kenyon College: 18-5 (6-1 NCAC), national ranking No. 13
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,2,4,5)