ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 13-ranked Kenyon College women's tennis team saw its NCAA Tournament run come to a close Saturday afternoon, as the Owls fell 4-0 to No. 3 Washington University in St. Louis in the third round of the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship at the Tao Tennis Center.
The Owls wrapped up their team season with a 20-6 overall record, adding another strong postseason chapter to a campaign that included both the North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season title and NCAC Tournament crown.
The afternoon opened with a heavyweight doubles battle, and Kenyon's top tandem delivered one of the Owls' brightest moments of the match. Eleni Lazaridou and Hana Nouaime took care of business at No. 1 doubles, defeating Eleanor Archer and Caitlin Bui 6-4 to give Kenyon an early lift. WashU, however, answered on the lower two doubles courts to claim the opening team point. At No. 3 doubles, Maggie Shope and Clare Hudson fell 6-3 to Lily Brecknock and Sam Slowik. The deciding doubles result came at No. 2, where Shadia Amado Aguad and Kiara Komlodi pushed Eliana Hanna and Ally Lin to the edge before falling in a narrow 7-6 finish.
With the Bears holding the slim advantage, singles play tilted the match in WashU's favor. Caitlin Bui posted a 6-0, 6-0 win over Nouaime at No. 3 singles, and Lin followed with a 6-1, 6-2 decision against Amado Aguad at No. 4. Nina Moravek then added the clinching point at No. 6 singles, defeating Elizabeth Ackermann 6-0, 6-0 to seal the match for the hosts.
Even with the team result decided, the Owls had several matches still working when play was halted. At No. 1 singles, Lazaridou responded from a 6-0 first-set setback against Hanna by flipping the second set 6-0 before trailing 3-0 in the third. Komlodi was also locked in a battle at No. 2 singles, falling 7-5 in the first set before leading Archer 3-2 in the second. Hudson had taken the first set 6-2 at No. 5 singles and led Amber Edmonds 2-1 in the second before the match went unfinished.
Although the Owls' team tournament run ended, Kenyon's season is not fully finished. Lazaridou will represent the Owls in the NCAA Division III Singles Championship, while Komlodi will attend as an alternate for the singles field. On the doubles side, Lazaridou and Nouaime will compete in the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship. The individual and doubles championships are set for May 22-25 at the Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
