Mayfield, Ohio. - In a battle of in-state and conference foes, the Denison women's tennis team was able to capture their first win of the season, defeating John Carroll before falling to No. 18 Case Western in a Sunday doubleheader. Rafaella Ramos went perfect on the day, picking up a win in doubles and singles in their contest against the Blue Streaks. Denison now stands at 1-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

No. 32 Denison 7, John Carroll 0

Doubles: The Big Red make quick work in doubles, as in the No. 3 flight Rafaella Ramos and Ariana Rodriguez swept their opponent in just 17 minutes to pick up a win. Dash Chistyakova and Caitlin Van Winkle followed suit shortly after, topping Felicity Kolb and Emma Smith in a flawless 6-0 victory to give Denison the early point. Peyton Oda and Maia Nowicki had a battle in the No. 1 spot, but fell short 7-6 (9-7).

1. Madeline Kavenagh/Evelyn Deren (JCUW) def. Peyton Oda/Maia Nowicki (DENW) 7-6 (9-7)
2. Dasha Chistyakova/Caitlin Van Winkle (DENW) def. Felicity Kolb/Emma Smith (JCUW) 6-0
3. Rafaella Ramos/Ariana Rodriguez (DENW) def. Zoe Nicholas/Lily Dixon (JCUW) 6-0

Singles: Following their big win in doubles, Denison continued their momentum with a shutout in singles. In the No. 5 flight, Nowicki swept her opponent 6-0, 6-0, and Anna Leach followed up shortly after with a shutout win of her own in the No. 6 spot to take an early 3-0 advantage. Chistyakova was able to clinch the win for the Big Red with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Emma Smith to take a 4-0 lead. Denison piled it on as Oda and Ramos were able to deal a shutout for the Big Red's first win of the season.

1. Peyton Oda (DENW) def. Madeline Kavenagh (JCUW) 6-4, 6-3
2. Caitlin Van Winkle (DENW) def. Evelyn Deren (JCUW) 6-3, 6-3
3. Rafaella Ramos (DENW) def. Felicity Kolb (JCUW) 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-5)
4. Dasha Chistyakova (DENW) def. Emma Smith (JCUW) 6-4, 6-2
5. Maia Nowicki (DENW) def. Zoe Nicholas (JCUW) 6-0, 6-0
6. Anna Leach (DENW) def. Lily Dixon (JCUW) 6-0, 6-0

Match Notes:

No. 30 Denison Big Red, 1-1 (1-0)

John Carroll Blue Streaks, 1-2 (0-2)

Doubles Order: 3, 2, 1

Singles Order: 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3

No. 18 Case Western 5, No. 32 Denison 2

Doubles: The Spartans were able to squeeze out the first point of the match after going 2-1 in doubles. In the No. 2 flight, Van Winkle and Nowicki fell to Ellior Rose and Hannah Kassaie 6-2, but Oda and Ramos were able to knot things up 1-1 after a 6-4 victory in the first flight. Case Western was able to take the full advantage after Katie Wong and Emma Thoms defeated Chistyakova and Maddie Larsen 6-4 to go up 1-0 heading into singles play.

1.  Peyton Oda/ Rafaella Ramos (DENW) def.Katalina Wang/ Gabby Lee (CWRUW) 6-4
2.  Hannah Kassaie/ Ellior Rose (CWRUW) def. Maia Nowicki/Caitlin Van Winkle (DENW) 6-2
3.  Katie Wong/ Emma Thoms (CWRUW) def. Dasha Chistyakova/ Maddie Larsen (DENW) 6-4

Singles: Case Western found themselves up 3-0 early on, as Hannah Kassaie took down Oda in the No. 1 spot 6-2, 6-0, and Atra Biria defeated Chistyakova 6-2, 6-1. The Big Red were able to get on the board as Nowicki beat Tara Markovic 6-3, 6-2 to bring it within two. The Spartans would fend off the Big Red attack and take a clinching 4-1 lead after Katie Wong defeated Ramos 6-3, 6-1, but Larsen battled back in the No. 6 flight to take down Prachi Shah in three sets to go down 4-2 with one match remaining. Case Western picked up their final win in the No. 2 spot, as Katalina Wang defeated Van Winkle in three sets to capture the 5-2 victory.

1. Hannah Kassaie (CWRUW) def.  Peyton Oda (DENW) 6-2, 6-0
2. Katalina Wang (CWRUW) def. Caitlin Van Winkle (DENW) 6-7 (0-9), 6-0, 10-4
3. Katie Wang (CWRUW)  def. 6-3, 6-3 Rafaella Ramos (DENW) 6-3, 6-1
4. Atra Biria (CWRUW) def. Dasha Chistyakova (DENW) 6-2, 6-1
5. Maia Nowicki (DENW) def. Tara Markovic (CWRUW) 6-3, 6-2
6. Maddie Larsen (DENW) def. Prachi Shah (JCUW) 6-3, 1-6, 10-8

Match Notes:

No. 30 Denison Big Red, 1-2 (1-0)

No. 18 Case Western Spartans, 3-0 (0-0)

Doubles Order: 2, 1, 3

Singles Order: 1, 4, 5, 3, 6, 2

Up Next for the Big Red:

The Big Red will host an NCAC doubleheader next week, as Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan will visit Granville next Saturday, February 21.