The Kenyon men’s and women’s tennis teams, ranked No. 13 and No. 16 in the country, respectively, are back in action to kick off the spring season. Competing in a slew of matches over the past two weeks, both teams went undefeated.

Men: The Owls got their season off to a strong start over the past two weekends. First, the Owls defeated Kalamazoo College (Mich.) on Feb. 1 before continuing to dominate last weekend, sweeping both John Carroll University and Ohio Wesleyan University. After three 7-0 victories against John Carroll at home on Sunday and a victory at Ohio Wesleyan the next day, the Owls stand at 3-0. 

The Owls got out to a quick start against Kalamazoo, with the pairing of Jay Kedar Dixit ’27 and Rohan Sriram ’28 winning the opening doubles match 6-0. Then, Maximo Llamas Castellanos ’29 and Juozas Cioladis ’28 combined to earn another 6-0 victory to secure Kenyon the crucial doubles point. In singles play, the Owls dominated from start to finish. No Owl dropped even a single set, with Stylianos Papamichael ’29 recording the most impressive victory with his 6-0, 6-1 win. Alejandro Gonzalez ’28, Cioladis, Kedar Dixit and Llamas Castellanos all smoothly handled their opponents as well. While Sriram did not have as easy of a time, he still came through when it mattered en route to a 7-5, 7-6 victory to secure the Owls’ sweep.

This past weekend, Kenyon established control early in both matches, sweeping all three doubles contests in each meet. Against the Blue Streaks, Cioladis and Llamas Castellanos led the way with a 6-1 victory at first doubles, while Kedar Dixit and Papamichael secured a 6-1 victory at second doubles. Eliezer Gonzalez ’26 and Sriram completed the day of dominance with a 6-0 performance of their own. 

The following day against the Battling Bishops, the Owls replicated the clean sweep: Cioladis and Llamas Castellanos won 6-2, Paulo Pocasangre Kreling ’26 and Sriram claimed a 6-4 victory and Gonzalez and Papamichael added a 6-2 win. The Owls carried their momentum into singles, not dropping a set in either contest. Against John Carroll, Llamas Castellanos and Pocasangre Kreling posted commanding straight-set wins, while Kedar Dixit, Papamichael, Sriram and Sree Kondaveeti ’29 closed out the sweep with minimal games conceded. 

At Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon’s singles lineup was equally dominant: Llamas Castellanos (6-3, 6-0), Cioladis (6-0, 6-1),  Kedar Dixit (6-2, 6-0), Papamichael (6-1, 6-0), Sriram (6-1, 6-0) and Kondaveeti (6-0, 6-0), each secured straight-set victories, highlighting the team’s depth. 

Across both weekends, Kenyon showcased an impressive combination of talent, teamwork and composure. Sweeping all six doubles and twelve singles matches while also conceding very few games, the Owls reinforced their early-season momentum, as they look to win the NCAC title for the first time since 2019, falling to rival No. 1 Denison University each of the last four years. With back-to-back shutout wins, Kenyon is off to a perfect start and continues to build confidence as it looks toward a matchup against Rhodes College (Tenn.) at home on Saturday.

Women: Over the weekend, the No. 16 Kenyon women’s tennis team had a successful four-match sweep, producing 7-0 scores against all four of its opponents. On Saturday, the Owls defeated Capital University before picking up a second win hours later against Otterbein University. They continued their streak on Sunday, starting with a win against Ohio Wesleyan University and earning their final victory against John Carroll University. 

In the Owls’ first match against Capital, the duos of Leni Lazaridou ’26 and Hana Nouaime ’28, Shadia Amado Aguad ’26 and Kiara Komlodi ’29 and Sophia Carling ’28 and Bridgette Kelly ’28 all produced perfect 6-0, 6-0 victories. Singles play yielded similar results, with all six players securing strong wins, never dropping more than two games in a set.

Kenyon brought the same energy to its second match of the day against Otterbein. Nouaime posted a 6-0, 6-0 win, while Maya Stolarsky ’29, Elizabeth Ackermann ’28 and Carling all secured 6-0, 6-1 wins in their singles matches. Amado Aguad and Komlodi clinched a 6-1 win in their No. 1 doubles match, before Komlodi finished the weekend with her fourth win of the day with a 6-0, 6-0 score. No. 2 doubles duo Clare Hudson ’28 and Stolarsky tallied a 6-1 win, rounding out their Saturday undefeated as a team. 

The following day, the Owls found similar success against Ohio Wesleyan, winning all six singles matches. Doubles play also resulted in victory for Kenyon, as Amado Aguad and Komlodi teamed up once again and earned a 6-0 win. Two other 6-1 wins came from doubles duos Kelly and Stolarsky and Ackermann and Madeline Chappars ’27. 

After the matches, Chappars reflected on her individual performance. “My personal performance was a big step in the right direction, especially after battling a wrist injury during the fall semester,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian. 

The fourth and final match of the weekend was just as triumphant. In doubles, Hudson and Stolarsky, as well as Amado Aguad and Komlodi, defeated John Carroll with 6-0 wins. Lazaridou and Nouaime secured a 6-1 victory as a duo, before Lazaridou returned to the court to earn a 6-0, 6-0 win in singles. The other five singles matches yielded victories as well. After going 4-0 this weekend, Komlodi earned her first NCAC Athlete of the Week honors.

Chappars hopes that last weekend’s success will carry over throughout the season. “We are looking forward to spring break in Orlando, where we have a busy schedule against several ranked schools,” she wrote. “As a team, one of our primary goals is to improve our ranking by focusing on consistent performance, preparation and growth.” Looking ahead, the Owls will take on No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis in Greencastle, Indiana, on Sunday.