Philadelphia, Pa. - (9/13/2021) – "We are ready for another great season," stated Head Men's Tennis Coach Alan Garabedian. "We are fortunate to have five starters returning to the lineup, including our number one and the reigning CACC (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference) Player of the Year, Tom Pitchley." Senior Tom Pitchley (London, England) – who finished last Spring as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region's #3 Singles player – captains a Scarlet and Gold roster that also returns All-CACC Second Team sophomores Domagoj Dugandzic (Stuttgart, Germany) and Joao Sousa (Figueira da Foz, Portugal), alongside seniors Mark Gladkyy (Vineland, N.J.) and Joseph Gregory Kvint (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.), and sophomore transfer Noah Cutting (Bury St. Edmunds, England/Keiser University).
 
Securing singles points in the fourth (6-0, retired), fifth (6-3, 6-3), first (6-4, 7-5), and sixth (7-5, 6-3) flights, #2 Chestnut Hill College defeated #3 Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson) 4-1 in the semifinal round of the 2021 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Tennis Championship Tournament. The victory ensured the Griffins their eighth consecutive CACC Men's Tennis Championship appearance as they traveled to #1 Concordia College (NY) for the seventh title match between the Griffins and Clippers. The Clippers won the doubles point with wins in the third (6-1) and first (6-2) team flights. Afterwards, Concordia College scored second (6-2, 6-1), third (6-4, 6-4), and first (3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) singles points to defeat the Scarlet and Gold by a 4-0 final. Kvint and Pitchley were recognized on the CACC Men's Tennis All-Tournament Team.
 
Pitchley was 8-4 at number one singles and 5-7 at number one doubles during the Spring 2021 season. He was a two-time CACC Men's Tennis Player of the Week (April 27, April 13) and enjoyed a 7-6, 7-4, victory over his #30 nationally-ranked Clipper counterpart in the April-8, 6-1 league loss to Concordia College. Dugandzic paired with Pitchley for two of his number one doubles wins (2-2 @ #1); he finished the season with an 8-3 (5-1 @ #5) singles record and a 6-5 (4-2 @ #2 w/ Sousa) doubles mark. Sousa split time at number three (3-2) and number four (4-2) singles while also going 3-1 with the departed Kiki Dagneaux in the number two doubles flight. Gladkyy offered a 5-5 (3-2 @ #6) singles record and contributed to a 1-5 doubles (1-4 @ #3 w/Kvint) record in his first season as a Griffin. Meanwhile, Kvint was 1-5 in both singles (1-3 @ #2) and doubles (1-5 @ #3) play. Cutting fills the roster spot vacated by Dagneaux, who left the Griffins after an All-CACC Second Team season that included a #19 ITA East Region Singles Ranking and a #9 ITA East Region Doubles Ranking alongside Pitchley. "Cutting brings a solid all-around game with the ability to out rally an opponent from the baseline or at the net," said Coach Garabedian.
 
Chestnut Hill College begins their 2021-2022 season on Friday, September 17, when they travel to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the ITA East Region Championships.