PHOTOS
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A new-look Otterbein men's tennis roster started blending itself over the fall season of 2023, sweeping Mount Vernon Nazarene in a dual match and then lacing up at a few notable tournaments.
The Cardinals began the month of September with a
7-0 blanking at MVNU, taking all nine courts to earn the lone doubles point and then a six-pack in singles. Newcomers
Max Fickas and
Neil Reddy won 6-4 on the top doubles line while the other two matchups finished 6-2.
Otterbein had to work for some key points en route to a clean singles performance, with freshman
Jake Chilcote going the hardest into a breaker on line three. He dropped the first set, rebounded in the second, and then prevailed 10-7 in the extra points.
-------
Otterbein pushed through the month taking on tough/national competition at the Kenyon Invitational, Big Red Invitational (Denison) and ITA Regionals up in Michigan.
Recent Westerville South graduate Nikita Kitav (by way of Belarus) turned some head to launch his freshman campaign. He went 4-2 individually in tournament format and then also tallied the same mark alongside
Nate Stevens in doubles.
Stevens,
Joshua Mammen and
Drew Wherley all finish an even .500 by themselves across various matches, while Chilcote and Mammen went 2-2 together.
-------
A quartet of Cardinals represented Otterbein at
ITA Regionals to culminate the month. Mammen and Fickas each won a first-round match in singles while Chilcote also played well, but succumbed to a very worthy Rose-Hulman competitor in three.
-------
The Cardinals now get to relax and regroup over the winter months before getting back on the grind come spring, looking to make another OAC Tournament Championship after coming up just short last time around.
