Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College men's tennis team began season play today against the toughest competition they could find, taking on Case Western Reserve University, the top-ranked team in the nation. Making the Spartans earn their victory, the Yeomen left it all out on the court for a 7-0 loss.
 
Case Western showed early why they are the best. Oberlin's three doubles teams combined to win just two games in three sets. Third-year Shawn Lisann and first-year Brady Huggett were bageled by Rohan Bhat and Justin Prochnow, 6–0, in the #1 doubles match. First-years Enrique Margain and Max Brose were also held scoreless, losing 6–0 to Case's #2 pair, Santiago Salazar Garza and Derek Shiffer. Oberlin's #3 team, second-year Zain Makada and first-year Oliver Knijnenburg, won the first game of their set but could grab only one more after, falling 6–2 to Leon Chen and Jon Totorica. 
 
Although the Yeomen could not win a singles match, the team got off to a much better start in singles play, winning at least one game in each first set. 
 
In his first in-season singles match, Brose rose to the challenge in the most competitive match of the day. Taking on the big-serving Bhat, Brose was overwhelmed early in the #4 singles slot and found himself down 4–1, but got back on serve after finding his range. Although Bhat recovered to close out the first set 6-3, Brose got off to a hot start in the second and went up a quick 3–0. Both men continued holding serve until Brose had his first and only chance to serve out the set. Bhat raised his level to break Brose back and then level the set at 5-5. A few unforced errors let Brose down in the tiebreak and Bhat took advantage to seal a 6-3, 7-6(2) win, but Brose certainly had a memorable debut match.
 
Lisann and Margain lost in similar fashions in the #1 and #2 matches, winning four games each in route to 6–2, 6–2 losses. Lisann found himself down 6–2, 5–0, and attempted to mount a furious comeback but was stopped by Casey Hishinuma. Margain was battling back and forth with Rowan Matorin in both sets, but Matorin was able to win the most important points in each set.
 
Makada and Trey Lambright traded holds of serve in each set, but Lambright was able to capitalize on Makada's errors on serve to nab a hard-fought 6–3, 6–2 win in the #3 match. 
 
Case Western's #5 Ben Martin's deft touch and crafty shotmaking made life difficult for second-year Ben Tichauer, who refused to back down without a fight. The match was full of long rallies, creative plays, and great displays of skill from each player, but in the end, Martin collected a 6–3, 6–2 win.
 
First-year Oliver Faranda was overwhelmed in his first match at the #6 slot against Konrad Kwiatkowski, whose big serves, clean volleys, and unrelenting aggression powered him to a 6–1, 6–0 win.
 
Despite the 7–0 scoreline, Head Coach Eric Ishida was optimistic about his team's start to the year and the growth each player has ahead of him.
 
"It's always a great challenge to play Case Western Reserve University, one of the top teams in the country," Coach Eric Ishida said. "We are happy with how we responded to the level of play and created some good opportunities once we settled in."
 
The Yeomen will host another ranked team, #22 Carnegie Mellon, tomorrow, Saturday, February 8, at 11:00 on Hunsinger Courts.
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.