GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's lacrosse team earned a spot in Sunday's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship for the third straight season. The No. 3-seeded Owls will face a familiar foe for the tournament title, dueling Denison University, the No. 1 seed and defending NCAC Tournament Champion, for the third year in a row. The Big Red will host the championship bout, which is scheduled to start at noon at Denison's Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.

Kenyon earned its shot at the tournament championship by overcoming No. 2-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University in Wednesday's semifinal matchup. The Owls jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first quarter before the Battling Bishops battled back to pull within a goal late in the third frame, but Kenyon exploded for six straight goals late to run away with the game, eventually winning 16-9. The win boosted Kenyon's season record to 8-7.

Denison dispatched DePauw University, the No. 4 seed, to advance to the championship game. The Big Red cruised to an 18-2 win on Wednesday, scoring the game's first 17 goals. Denison carries a 13-4 overall record into the conference finale, and the Big Red earned the tournament's top seed after winning the regular-season NCAC Championship, a crown Kenyon wore for the previous two seasons.

Kenyon and Denison have been neck-and-neck as the conference's top two competitors over the last few seasons. The Owls are looking to reclaim the edge after winning three straight matchups from 2022-23, including a 12-10 win over Denison in the 2022 NCAC Tournament Championship. However, the Big Red bested the Owls 14-8 in last season's tournament title game, and Denison won 13-9 just a few days ago on April 20 en route to dethroning Kenyon as regular-season champions. Despite never leading, the Owls played the Big Red close at home, and the game was tied 6-6 late in the first half. However, Denison pulled away despite the best efforts of Kenyon's Kate Lengel, who scored a game-high five goals.

Lengel leads a Kenyon offense that averages 15.13 goals per game, which is third-best in the NCAC. The senior ranks second in the league with 3.53 goals per game and 4.20 points per game. Blythe Karras backs up Lengel with 38 points, ranking second on the team, and her 19 assists pace the Owls. Ali Hatfield (23), Mallory Brophy (22), Lily Mason (22), and Spencer Kirsch (21) have all surpassed 20 goals this season. Brophy (48), Mason (40), and Kirsch (35) are also amongst Kenyon's leaders in draw controls. 

Defensively, Lauren Gilbert leads the team with 30 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. Maren Helmacy is not far behind, grabbing 23 ground balls and causing 14 turnovers. In goal, Nola Garand has posted a 10.58 goals against average and a .502 save percentage, which is third-best in the NCAC. Her 9.93 saves per game pace the conference.  

Denison has posted a league-leading plus-7.2 scoring margin this season, ranking second in the league with 16.29 goals per game while pacing the conference with a 9.12 goals against average, just a bit stingier than Kenyon's 9.81 mark. 

Individually, Denison's offense is led by Maddie Morrell and Josie Lucchesi, who are tied for ninth in the NCAC with 2.41 goals per game. Julianne Henigan and Audrey Hughes have shared most of the Big Red's minutes in the cage, and their respective 8.68 and 9.90 goals against averages are at the top of the conference leaders. Mary Daniel leads the team with 70 draw controls and 33 ground balls, while Merrill Rollhaus has also controlled 70 draws while adding 28 ground balls, causing 23 turnovers, and scoring 21 goals.

Ticket prices for the big game are $7 for adults and $3 for children (18 and under) and students without an NCAC institution ID. Students with an NCAC institution ID will be admitted free of charge.