Titas Bera

Jesse DeWitt

The College of Wooster men's tennis team turned in a strong finish to the 2016-17 season with a 5-1 win over rival Wittenberg University in the seventh-place match of the 2017 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday evening at the Olympic Indoor Tennis Club in Columbus, Ohio. On Friday, Wooster picked up a point in doubles play against No. 28 Kenyon College, but the Lords captured the quarterfinal match 5-1 at Granville, Ohio.

Junior Titas Bera and sophomore Jesse DeWitt captured Wooster's (8-19) lone point in the quarterfinal match, and that came via an 8-6 win at the second doubles flight. Then, on Saturday, DeWitt brought home the seventh-place match with a 6-3, 6-3 win over the Tigers' (8-11) Caleb Astwood at fourth singles.

Wooster took a 2-1 lead into singles play against Wittenberg as junior Andrew Long and first-year Nathan Devereux took the third flight 8-5 while seniors Jack Buchan and Davis Elkins were right there in an 8-6 match that ultimately went to the Tigers.

In singles play, Elkins (6-2, 6-3) and Devereux (6-2, 6-0) clinched points at the third and fifth flights and Long was also in prime position if needed after winning his first set out of the sixth flight.

Bera, up three spots to 12th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region singles rankings, saw both of his matches go unfinished on the weekend, but he won his first set 6-3, and was tied at two in the second set against Kenyon's (12-10) Jacob Zalenski when Friday's match ended.

Saturday marked the end of the standout careers of Buchan and Elkins, and the duo won 44 matches together during their time at the College, the most by a team in program history. Coincidentally, the duo became Wooster's winningest doubles team during the regular-season meeting against Wittenberg back on March 31, a match won by the Scots 8-1. Additionally, Buchan wrapped up his career with 101 career wins between singles and doubles.