CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The No. 8-ranked doubles team of senior captains
Nicholas Chen and
Simon Volkema represented the No. 24-ranked Williams College men's tennis team during the 2026 NCAA Division III Doubles Championship, as the pair fell on Saturday afternoon in the Round of 16 to No. 15 Vitomir Petcov and Marlon Abarca of No. 40 Redlands at the McCallie School.
The match went the full three sets, as Petcov and Abarca won the final five games in the first set to claim a 6-3 triumph. During the second set, the serving team won all 12 games and a tiebreaker was needed to determine the winner.
The tiebreaker featured three runs, as the Ephs raced out to a 3-0 lead, followed by five straight points by Redlands, and then with their backs against the wall, Chen and Volkema rattled off four straight points to earn a 7-5 triumph and force a decisive third set. In the third set, Petcov and Abarca won all four games they were serving, and then earned the break point during 2-of-4 games served by Williams to record a 6-2 win and seal the match.
The Ephs finished the 2026 team with an 11-6 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the NESCAC. Chen and Volkema went 12-5 together at the No. 1 doubles position this spring. Volkema was named to the NESCAC All-Conference First Team in singles and doubles action, while Chen earned First Team accolades in doubles and Second Team honors in singles.
