No.19 Tiger Men's Tennis Set to Face Two Top-5 Opponents
The 19th ranked Trinity University men's tennis team secured a decisive 6-1 victory over Kalamazoo College on Tuesday evening at the
Butch Newman Tennis Center. With this victory, the Tigers improved to 10-7.
Last Time
Trinity took the early advantage in the match, securing the doubles point with two victories. The top-line duo of
Rocco Mendez (Las Vegas, Nev. / Odyssey Charter School) and
Kishan Kersten (Plano, Texas / West) set the tone with a 6-4 win.
Eric Liao (Taipei, Taiwan / Boca Prep) and
Aashish Dhanani (Austin, Texas / Westwood) followed with a clutch 7-6 (7-0) tiebreak victory at line two, sealing the doubles point.
Conor Kaczmarczyk (Aurora, Colo. / Regis Jesuit) and
Ethan Flores (Houston, Texas / Clear Lake) fought hard at line three but fell 5-7.
In singles,
Connor Whittington (Lake Oswego, Ore. / Lake Oswego) struck first with a commanding 6-0, 6-3 win at line six.
Ryan Warren (Keller, Texas / Connections Academy) extended the lead with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory at the top spot. Liao kept the momentum rolling, delivering a 6-3, 6-3 win at line four, before Kersten clinched the match for Trinity with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at line two.
Roshin Kamath (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) added to the tally with a strong 6-2, 6-3 performance at line five. Dhanani battled in a three-set match at line three but couldn't come out on top, giving Kalamazoo a consolation point to close out the evening.
SCAC Singles Player of The Week - Rocco Mendez
For the 1st time in his career, freshman
Rocco Mendez has won SCAC Singles Player of the Week.
From the Week 8 SCAC Press Release:
Mendez went undefeated over the weekend in singles play as 10th-ranked Trinity went 1-2 against nationally-ranked teams at the Stag-Hen Invitational in California. Mendez brought the Tigers split the first four singles matches off the court in a 5-2 loss to #19 Johns Hopkins, winning 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 at line three. He then scored a 4-6, 7-5, 3-0 (retired) win at line three in the team's 5-2 loss to #29 Pomona-Pitzer. Moving up to #2 singles against #24 NC Wesleyan didn't faze Mendez as he earned a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 win to vault the Tigers to a 7-0 shutout.
Preview - Business Trip to the Buckeye State
The Tigers prepare for a pair of back-to-back matches as they travel to Ohio to face Denison on Saturday, April 5 in Columbus before traveling to Cleveland to battle Case Western Reserve on Sunday, April 6.
On the No. 4 Denison University Big Red: The Big Red are 13-2 this year with notable wins coming against No. 5 Case Western Reserve 4-2, No. 7 Emory University 5-2, No. 8 Swarthmore College 5-2, No. 9 Amherst College 4-3, No. 10 Washington University St. Louis 5-2, No. 16 Johns-Hopkins 4-1, and No. 21 Washington & Lee 5-2. They have only suffered two defeats this season, losing to No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1-6, and No. 2 University of Chicago 2-5. In the 2024 season, the Big Red reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, losing 3-5 to the eventual champion the University of Chicago. Denison will look to senior Ethan Green to lead the way. This spring, Green has an impressive 11-2 record in singles and a 13-2 record in doubles. Green's most notable victories have come against No. 2 University of Chicago 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, No. 7 Emory University 6-3, 6-2, and No. 9 Amherst 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). His only two defeats this season have come against No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-6, 4-6, and No. 8 Swarthmore College 4-6, 5-7. This marks the first-ever meeting between Trinity and Denison, setting the stage for future heavyweight showdowns. The Tigers will look to play spoilers as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to face off against the Big Red on Saturday April 5 at 10 a.m.
On the No. 5 Case Western Spartans: The Spartans are 19-3 this spring, with 14 of their 19 victories being sweeps. The Spartans notable victories have come against No. 8 Swarthmore College 4-3, No. 10 Washington University 5-2, No. 21 Washington & Lee 7-0, and No. 22 Carnegie Mellon 5-2. The Spartans three defeats this season have come to No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-5, No. 4 Denison University 2-4, and No. 18 Wayne State University (Division 2). The Spartans will look to senior Ajay Mahenthiran to lead the charge. This season Mahenthiran has recorded a 11-5 record in singles and a 8-2 record in doubles. Mahenthiran's most notable singles victories are a 6-4, 6-4 win against Skidmore College, a 6-3, 7-5 win against No. 22 Carnegie Mellon, and a 2-6, 7-5, 15-13 three set tiebreak victory against No. 21 Washington & Lee. With one exception, Mahenthiran has competed at line one on every occasion this season. His most notable defeats have all come against highly ranked opposition. He was bested by No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 4-6, 3-6, No. 8 Swarthmore 4-6, 3-6, and No. 10 Washington University St. Louis 4-6, 4-6. Last time out, Trinity fell to Case Western 1-8 in the 2021-2022 season. The Tigers' all-time record against Case Western stands at 4-3. The Tigers will look to stay on the right side of the record books as they hit the road to face the Spartans on Sunday, April 6 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Looking Ahead:
The Tigers will remain on the road to take on fellow SCAC foe Southwestern, in Georgetown on Sunday, April 13 at 2 p.m.
