ADA, Ohio - The Otterbein men's tennis team defeated Ohio Northern 5-4 Wednesday afternoon, as the Cardinals are now 16-3 on the year and 6-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Ohio Northern falls to 12-7 overall and 5-1 in the league.
Otterbein puts itself in position to be the No. 2 seed with a victory against Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, and would need John Carroll to defeat Ohio Northern. If the Polar Bears defeat John Carroll then there would be a three-way tie between JCU, ONU and Otterbein.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Cardinals put together a strong performance in the doubles portion, as Tyler Wharton and Connor Radune won 8-4 in second doubles and Tom Ohler and Derek Krieger won 8-2 in third. Jared Deel and Brandon Wall had the most competitive match at first doubles coming away on the wrong side of an 8-6 decision.
- Otterbein clinched the match early, as Riley Yost, Ohler and Kreiger were the first three matches to finish to give Otterbein a 5-1 edge. Yost won 6-4, 7-5 in sixth singles, Krieger came away with a 6-2, 7-5 win, while Ohler had the best result winning 6-3, 6-3.
- Wharton tested his opponent by falling 7-5, 7-6 (10-8) at third single, Radune also tested the opposition with a result of 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
- Wall lost to Vinh Thai 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 at first singles, as Wall pushed the reigning first team All-OAC performer to the limit.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The Cardinals avenged a tough 6-3 defeat a season ago, as Otterbein has now won seven of the last eight matches against the Polar Bears.
- Krieger has been playing well, as the senior has won eight of his previous 10 matches and holds a 15-3 record as an individual.
- The Cardinals currently own an impressive 17-2 mark at third doubles, which is good for a .895 winning percentage.
WHAT THEY SAID:
- "We continue to be low key and just try to get the most out of our capabilities," head coach Tyler Stephen said. "We may not be the most talented team on the court but we work smart to win points and just try to compete in close matches. We lost a tough one to John Carroll and Ohio Northern is another extremely talented team. I think the guys were focused and just kept finding ways to win."
UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will honor their four seniors on Saturday against Baldwin Wallace with the match scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
