Jesse DeWitt

Facing a 5-2 deficit in the third set of the winner-take-all match, Jesse DeWitt rallied for an improbable victory at sixth singles to lift The College of Wooster to a thrilling 5-4 triumph over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology during Saturday's tri-match at Greencastle, Ind. Wooster also lost to host and nationally-ranked DePauw University 9-0.

With the team score tied 4-4, DeWitt not only was a game away from losing, but he fell behind 40-love to Rose-Hulman's (1-2) Andrew Schiffman in that eighth game of the third set. The freshman from Wooster (3-2) overcame those three match points, eventually evened the third set 5-5, and after splitting the next two games, he took control of the tiebreaker, completing the comeback with a final line of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3).

The match was closely contested throughout the doubles and singles lineups. The Fighting Scots scored one point in doubles, with Jack Buchan and Davis Elkins edging their foes at No. 1, 8-6, while another close one went to the Engineers at the third flight, 9-7.

Down 2-1, Wooster evened the team score when Buchan walked away from second singles with a decisive 6-2, 6-2 win, and Harrison Suttle gave the Scots the lead with a similarly dominant victory at No. 5 (6-2, 6-1).

After Rose-Hulman tied it back up via a three-setter at fourth singles, Vilius Sulnis handed Wooster its fourth point, courtesy of a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 match at No. 3.

Then, another three-setter went the Engineers way at the top of the lineup, leaving DeWitt and Schiffman on the court with the match on the line.

Following the emotional win, the Scots got right back on the court against DePauw, No. 33 in the latest ITA NCAA Div. III rankings. Wooster was swept, but did receive a strong effort from Titas Bera at the top singles flight, where he lost in a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-1).

Next for the Scots, they'll face John Carroll University (1-1) on Friday night at the Paramount Tennis Club in Medina, Ohio.