GRANVILLE, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's tennis team was unable to reverse the script from its match less than a week ago against 13th-ranked Denison University, as the Big Red beat the Fighting Scots 5-0 in the semifinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday at Denison Tennis Courts. Wooster did assure itself of a top-four NCAC placing for the first time since 2007 with Friday's 5-0 win over Wittenberg University, and a victory in Sunday's 12 p.m. third-place match against DePauw University would give the Scots a third-place finish for the first time since 2006.

Seniors Alon Liberman and Austin Hanna made noticeable strides in first doubles, where the duo squared off against Tim Cianciola and Jack Bulger, the region's top-ranked team, per the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Wooster's top flight fell 8-1 against Denison's top grouping just six days ago, but won three more points off them during Saturday's 8-4 setback.

Junior Alex Drewes and senior Nebyou Minassie shook hands with Denison's Andy Mackler and Colin Gramley at 8-1, while 8-1 was the final at No. 3, where Marc-Lennart Harms and Blake Eason topped Wooster sophomore Shivam Dewan and first-year Patrick Johnson.

Cianciola won 6-0, 6-3 over Liberman at first singles, while minutes later, Johnson fell 6-2, 6-2 against Daniel Garcia in what marked the match-clincher.

Wooster was right in the mix with one of the region's perennial programs in the not-completed matches, specifically at No. 2. There, Hanna was leading Bulger 6-3, 3-2 when play was stopped. At No. 3, Drewes and Harms were deadlocked 6-6 in the first set. Further down, Minassie was working his way back from dropping set one 6-4. He had Ryan Patrick tied up at 2-2 in the second. Dewan was behind 6-3, 5-2 at No. 5.

Sunday's third-place match will take place at Denison.