Men

The No. 17 Kenyon men’s tennis team continued its NCAC domination this week, taking on two conference foes. Meanwhile, the No. 32 women’s tennis team competed in the Midwest Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, before defeating rival No. 29 Denison University. 

The men’s team’s first match of the week was on Friday against Oberlin College. Before the games began, the team’s five seniors were honored in the annual Senior Day celebration. Other than that, it was business as usual for the Owls, as they dismantled the Yeomen 8-1. In doubles, Kenyon took a 2-1 lead thanks to Paulo Pocasangre Kreling ’26 and Eliezer Gonzalez ’26 in the No. 1 matchup and Luis Andres Platas ’23 and Christophe Leblanc ’25 in the No. 2 game. After that, the Owls never looked back and swept singles play. Thomas Kallarakal ’23 won the No. 1 singles matchup 6-2, 6-4, and fellow senior Platas was also victorious in the No. 2 matchup by a score of 6-0, 6-2. In the No. 6 matchup, Jacob Smith ’23 won 6-1, 6-3 to cap off a strong performance from all seniors involved. 

The next day, the Owls traveled to the College of Wooster and won 9-0, improving their winning streak to five in a row. In doubles play, Pocasangre Kreling and Gonzalez continued to show why they are deserving of the No. 1 matchup spot, winning 8-1, while Platas and Leblanc won in the No. 2 game 8-3. In singles play, Kenyon won every single set and cruised to victory, as Platas won the No. 1 matchup 6-3, 6-2. On Monday, Platas was named the NCAC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week after going 4-0 across his doubles and singles matchups.  

The Kenyon men’s tennis team, which sits at 10-9 (4-1 NCAC), will return to action on Saturday against DePauw University. The Owls have only two more matches until the NCAC Championships. 

Women

The Kenyon women’s team played three games over two days at the Midwest Invitational and returned to Gambier with a 2-1 record overall. On Friday, the Owls first faced Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) and comfortably defeated the Gusties 8-1. Kenyon jumped out to a strong 3-0 lead in doubles play, headlined by Allaire Berl ’26 and Leni Lazaridou ’26, who won the No. 1 matchup 8-3. In singles, Lazaridou and Berl stayed undefeated, winning the No. 1 and No. 2 matchups in straight sets, while Shadia Amado Aguad ’26, Lalasa Nagireddy ’25 and Catriona MacIntosh ’23 also won their matchups in the same fashion. 

Unfortunately, the Owls fell to No. 19 Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) later in the day in a tough 4-5 loss. Kenyon led 2-1 after doubles play, thanks again to Berl and Lazaridou, who won the No. 1 matchup in an 8-7 (7-4) thriller, and to Amado Aguad and Eleni Dakos ’24, who won the No. 2 matchup 8-4. In singles, Lazaridou and Berl stayed undefeated playing in the same spots as before. Lazaridou won 6-3, 6-3 while Berl defeated her opponent in a tightly contested matchup 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4). However, the Owls could not hang onto their lead and fell in the rest of their games, ultimately losing 5-4. 

The next day, Kenyon returned for the final match of the tournament against Grinnell College (Iowa) and won 8-1 without much trouble. The Owls were again strong in doubles play and took an early 3-0 advantage. Berl and Lazaridou continued their dominance, winning 8-6, while Amado Aguad and Dakos won the No. 2 matchup 8-4. To finish the doubles sweep, MacIntosh and Natalie Connelly ’25 won the No. 3 matchup 8-0. In singles play, Berl and Lazaridou cemented their undefeated status throughout the tournament, each winning their matchups in straight sets, while MacIntosh and Connelly won the No. 4 and No. 6 matchups in the same fashion. To end Kenyon’s time in Madison, Amado Aguad won an intense No. 3 matchup 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (16-14). 

Finally, the Owls traveled to Granville, Ohio and defeated the Big Red 6-3 on Wednesday. Kenyon was once again terrific in doubles play and headed toward the singles matchups with a 2-1 lead. Berl and Lazaridou won again in the No. 1 matchup 8-5, making it their fourth doubles win in as many matches. Then, in the No. 2 matchup, Amado Aguad and Dakos came away victorious in an 8-7 (7-5) thriller. In singles play, Lazardiou, Amado Aguad and Nagireddy all won their matchups in straight sets, while MacIntosh sealed Kenyon’s win with a 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) victory in the No. 6 matchup. 

MacIntosh is looking forward to the upcoming end-of season challenges while also crediting the team’s first years for their positive impact. “I’m most looking forward to the conference tournament this year. We’ve been having a good season so far and the three freshmen (Leni, Allaire and Shadia) have been a fantastic addition to the team,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian. “I think we’re all ready to play and I’m excited to compete hard!”

The Owls will return to conference play against DePauw University on Saturday, the first of the final three matches before the NCAC Championships starting on April 21.