Scots Defeat Reigning OAC Champs

Wooster opened its spring season Sunday by splitting matches between Carnegie Mellon University and John Carroll University.

Wooster started Sunday dropping a 9-0 bout to the Tartans but fought back in its second match with a 5-4 win over the Blue Streaks.

Wooster took a 2-1 lead after doubles play against John Carroll, who won its fifth straight OAC title last spring.

In the No. 1 flight, Otilia Oita and Abby Kushner Benson took a tough 8-7 (4) loss. However, the No. 2 squad of Katie Materick and Janaki Jagannathan and the No. 3 squad of Cherry Patlolla and Kim Nguyen each captured 8-3 wins.

In singles action, John Carroll took the top two flights, but Wooster took the next three flights.

Jagannathan rallied for a 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (3) win in the No. 3 flight. Nguyen cruised in the second set for a 7-5, 6-0 win at No. 4, and Materick won 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 5 flight.

Even in the losses, the Scots put up a fight. Oita fell 7-6 (5), 6-0 in the No. 1 flight, and Kushner Benson lost 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (8) at No. 6. Patlolla fell 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 2 flight.

Carnegie Mellon displayed its firepower in the morning with a 9-0 win against the Scots.

Wooster could only muster one game in the three doubles matches. Oita and Kushner Benson were able to do that in an 8-1 loss in the No. 1 flight to the nationally sixth ranked team of Lindy Cornwell and Bin Zheng.

Oita had another tough matchup in the first flight against ninth-ranked Crystal Zhou. Oita took a 6-3, 6-1 loss.

Patlolla faced off against the 35th-ranked Sarah Yang in a 6-0, 6-0 loss. Jagannathan fell 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 3 flight, and the Scots went down 6-0, 6-0 the rest of the way.

Next, the Scots travel to DePauw University on Feb. 19 for a match against the Tigers and a match against Washington University of St. Louis.