The Kenyon women’s tennis team hosted the Kenyon Invitational last weekend, offering a sneak peek into the Owls’ spring season. Five highly competitive teams went head-to-head on the outdoor courts across two days of play. The Owls faced prominent foes in Carnegie Mellon, Case Western University, Denison University and the University of Chicago. The team strung together a series of wins with a confidence that the Owls hope to carry throughout the offseason and into the spring.

Across both days of the singles competition, the Owls secured 10 wins and five losses. Notable performances from all class years highlighted the depth of talent on Kenyon’s team. Xenia Ilyasova ’30, Lora Szabo ’30 and Chelsea Chkanyuka ’30 played their first collegiate matches, with Ilyasova winning all of her singles games. Maya Stolarsky ’29 and Maggie Shope ’28 both added individual victories as well. Madeline Chappars ’27 and Ana Brand ’27 rounded the group out nicely, each serving up two impressive wins.

On Sunday, the doubles teams struggled, going 4-9, but still managed to pull out competitive results against increasingly tough pairings. Chappars and Ilyasova’s 7-5 win was a particular highlight. Chappars wrote in an email to the Collegian, “[We] had some really impressive wins over Case Western, and my doubles partner, Xenia Ilyasova, and I really found our spark!” Brand and Stolarsky also managed to grit out a tough victory 7-6 (7-5) against a Carnegie Mellon duo. 

Chappars noted that the Owls are excited to use their offseason to work out the kinks in their game. “Fall [season] lets us identify weak points in our individual playing style and technique and make corrections before spring,” she wrote. “Playing the top teams this early in the season allows us to get ready to take them on in the spring.” 

She also noted how helpful this time is for integrating fresh talent: “The fall season is also always a good way to introduce our new team members to our program and college tennis as a whole, since it is so different from Junior tennis.”

The Owls travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan, this upcoming weekend, where they will play in the ITA Central Regional Championship tournament, which brings together some of the best programs in the area. By using the fall to challenge themselves and face some of the best competition across the East Coast and Midwest, the Owls are taking advantage of the time they have to be ever more prepared for what is to come.