The Kenyon men’s and women’s tennis teams competed in their regular season finales at a buzzing Jasper Tennis Center in Gambier, with the No. 14 ranked women’s team beating No. 7 Carnegie Mellon University and the No. 10 ranked men’s team falling to No. 4 Denison University.
Women: The Owls wasted no time establishing control, with the seniors leading the charge in doubles. Leni Lazaridou ’26 teamed up with Hana Nouaime ’28 to dominate at No. 1 doubles, cruising to a 6-1 victory. At No. 2, Shadia Amado Aguad ’26 and Kiara Komlodi ’29 battled through a tighter contest before pulling away for a 7-5 win, giving Kenyon the doubles point and all the momentum heading into singles.
On the No. 3 singles court, Nouaime was dominant, barely dropping a game in a commanding 6-0, 6-4 performance. Komlodi followed with another composed showing, grinding out a 7-5, 6-2 victory. Carnegie Mellon grabbed its only point of the afternoon in the next match, but Lazaridou shut the door for Kenyon, edging out a 7-6, 6-3 win to clinch the match and push her personal season record to 15-6.
The match also marked Senior Day for Lazaridou and Amado Aguad, who were honored by their teammates before play began. Amado Aguad reflected on the occasion in an email to the Collegian. “Senior Day felt really special and honestly a little emotional. I’ve been sharing so many memories with Leni on and off the court, and these past four years have been really fun and meaningful,” she said.
As the No. 1 seed in the NCAC Tournament, hosted in Gambier, the Owls have a bye in the quarterfinal round and will enter play in semifinals on May 1. Amado Aguad spoke to the team’s confidence heading into the postseason. “We trust each other, we support each other, and everyone is committed to keep improving,” she said. “That energy has been huge for us heading into the tournament.”
Men: Denison set the tone early by sweeping doubles, with Kenyon’s strongest showing coming from the No. 1 pair Juozas Cioladis ’28 and Maximo Llamas Castellanos ’29, which fell 6-3.
The Owls showed plenty of fight in singles, however. Both Alejandro Gonzalez ’27 and Llamas Castellanos came out firing, each taking the opening set before ultimately being edged out in three. Gonzalez pushed his Denison competitor the full distance before falling 2-6, 7-6, 7-5, while Llamas Castellanos dropped a tight three-setter, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Paulo Pocasangre Kreling ’26 dropped his match 6-3, 6-2, and Cioladis was forced to retire after suffering an ankle injury. Denison closed out the remaining matches in straight sets to complete the sweep.
Despite the day’s losing result, Kenyon finishes the regular season at 20-3 and, as the second seed in the NCAC Tournament, receives a bye through Friday’s quarterfinals and will begin postseason play in Saturday’s semifinals.