Little Giants take down Wooster and Oberlin before falling to DePauw
A 2-1 start to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) season puts Wabash tennis for the best conference season in recent years. Wabash defeated both Wooster and Oberlin in matches on April 6-7, before traveling to Greencastle to face DePauw in the annual rivalry match.
The Little giant opened their conference season with a win over Wooster at Collett Tennis center on April 6. Although the 5-4 finish makes the match look close in the stat books, a closer look shows that Wabash hopped out to a 5-1 lead over the Fighting Scots.
The next day, Wabash defeated the Oberlin Yeomen in another 5-4 match. After losing to Oberlin in the regular season last year, this win shows progress for the team. Capturing two of the three doubles matches, Wabash overcame what has been a bit of a weakness for them so far.
Cole Shifferly ’26 went 4-0 in the matches winning both of his matches at 1-singles and both at 1-doubles. For his efforts he was named NCAC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week.
“I was really pleased with the performance,” said Liam Grennon ’24. “We were able to put together both Oberlin and Wooster. That is a really new dynamic for our team to be in –being the hunted, as opposed to the hunter. And guys like Cole Shifferly really stepped up to defend our home courts.”
After opening the NCAC season with a pair of wins, the team set their eyes on a bigger prize, the rival DePauw Tigers. On April 10 in Greencastle, the two teams faced off for a crack at what should be the third-place spot in the NCAC this season.
While the Little Giants were unable to capture the win, losing 6-3, they showed clear improvement over their performance last season. This continues the trend of the team creeping up on DePauw in the last few seasons.
The team carried the memory of last year’s deceptively-close 7-2 loss into the match, showing that they had a real opportunity to win the match.
“What made the biggest difference tonight was our belief,” said Bickett. “We never let the score affect us. We fought to the same extent last year, but this year we took a step forward in believing that we could win.”
The contest opened on a frightening note, as it looked like the Tigers would take all-three doubles matches.
At 3-doubles Tharakesh Ashokar ’26 and Rafael Rin ’27 were defeated 5-8, followed by 2-doubles Cole Borden ’24 and Ethan Koeneman ’26 who fell 4-8. Shifferly and Augusto Ghidini ’27 playing 1-doubles were on the ropes but bounced back to capture the match in a 9-7 tiebreaker.
Down 2-1 Wabash was slow to start in singles as all but Ashokar dropped their first set. But instead of faltering under the high-pressure at their rivals’ home courts, the scarlet tennis team bounced back to put the match back into the balance. Shifferly, Rin and Vittorio Bona ’27 claimed their second sets.
“I think we were a bit better positioned to compete in the rivalry environment,” said Grennon. “Tennis is a sport where a little bit of nerves can make a big difference and we are a year more experienced. I think that made the difference”
A pair of wins from Ashokar and Rin, when the Little Giants trailed 4-1 brough the match around to 4-3, with Wabsh needing to win both unresolved games to take the match. The matches went back-and-forth for a few sets, before the Tigers eventually captured both.
After the match Wabash tennis moved to 10-7 (2-1 NCAC) on the season. They have already shown growth over the previous years and continue to climb the rankings of the NCAC. If they continue their trajectory they will soon be one of the best teams in the region.
‘I would like to see us continue the same energy, fight, and belief that we’ve displayed to open the conference season,” said Bickett. “When we do that we are a tough team to beat.”
Next for the team, they will face Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg on April 13 and 14. While they won both matches last season, Wabash will need to be at their best once again, as the NCAC is a constantly shifting landscape that attracts excellent talent every year.
“I really think it’s a chance to test our fortitude and ability to maintain focus,” said Grennon. “Playing three conference matches in one week is a grind, and I think both of these matches are opportunities to fine-tune the things we want to improve on before the conference tournament.”