Despite sitting at 10th in the nation, Lords tennis has hit a cold spell.

It happens for all teams at some point, regardless of talent. After starting the season with a dominant 8-1 victory over the Indiana Institute of Technology (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Kenyon dropped matches to Emory University (Atlanta), Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Claremont, Calif.) and Washington University of St. Louis, ranked fifth, fourth and third, respectively.

But a good team is not defined by its losses. A good team is defined by if and how it bounces back.

Kenyon responded to that losing streak on Saturday with a resounding 8-1 victory over 22nd-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan College (Rocky Mount, N.C.), including a sweep of singles matches, all of which ended in straight sets.

“I definitely think it was important after losing the last few matches to get a solid win,” team member Robert Turlington ’16 said.

“While we have had a rough start to the year, we have been competitive in nearly every match. We’re definitely not getting blown out, and if a couple more of these close matches go our way I think we can begin to turn things around.”

Building on this victory is crucial for the Lords’ season, according to Head Coach Scott Thielke. “Our team always knows that each match on our schedule will be tough, so we are just looking to improve as we go through the season,” Thielke said. “I believe that we can keep getting better.”

The Lords will head to California after a short break to face more top Division III teams in the Stag-Hen Invitational. “Our schedule does not get any easier,” Thielke said.

In spite of the losses, the Lords remain nationally ranked, and ready.

“Right now, I think our focus is on competing well and believing that the results will naturally follow,” Turlington said.