Junior Dan Rodefeld plays in the NCAC tournament against Ohio Wesleyan on Friday. The men’s tennis team’s season came to
a close Sunday with a 5-3 loss to #33 ranked Denison. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE.
The 33rd-ranked Tigers topped Oberlin 5-0 on Sunday to secure third place in the North Coast Athletic Conference championships in Gambier, Ohio, over the weekend. No. 1 ranked Kenyon knocked off Denison 5-1, ultimately claiming the title.
“Obviously, we are disappointed with how it turned out, especially with all the work we put in and high expectations we had,” said junior Dan Rodefeld. “However, we are glad we came out after our semifinal loss and finished on a high note getting a win and finishing third.”
The Tigers started off strong against the No. 40 Yeomen after sweeping doubles play. At first doubles, senior Alec Kaczkowski and junior Dan Rodefeld took away an 8-5 victory. Juniors Harold Martin and Nate Wallace claimed a clean 8-0 win at No. 2 doubles, and at number three doubles senior Nick Thompson and junior Patrick Farrell picked up an 8-2 victory.
This success is believed to be in response to the relentless work ethic and strong mentality the group has shown this season.
“This year's team was particularly focused and motivated,” said first-year Matthew Quammen. “When we needed to step up our intensity, we always would and I think that has a lot to say about our leaders this year and the impact they have had on everyone else.”
In singles play, Kaczkowski won at No. 2 singles and first-year Greg Frauenheim won at No. 4 singles 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.
As the season comes to an end, many key aspects of being a part of a team come to light through deep reflection of the group’s progress.
“We are a great group who works really hard, and we have great team chemistry. I look to my teammates as brothers,” Frauenheim said. “It will be sad to lose the seniors, because we are all so close, but we look to keep going forward and working with the new freshmen coming in so they can join our strong brotherhood that we share as a team.”
The remaining matches went unfinished.
DePauw is now 12-10 as the year wraps up and sits ranked at seventh in the region.
Moving forward, the team will work toward ensuring success in the future, using defeat as fuel.
“Losing to Denison will be in our minds for awhile, so we will definitely use it as motivation in the summer and fall,” Wallace said. “We all have things that we can improve on, and if we do that, we will be in good shape.”