Both the Kenyon men and women’s tennis teams traveled to Virginia to face off against nationally ranked opponents last weekend in what proved to be an impressive showing by the Owls.
Men: The No. 13 men’s team generated a successful performance in Virginia, securing three ranked wins on the road and improving the Owls’ record to 15-1 (3-0 NCAC).
In their first matchup, the Owls dominated against No. 38 Grinnell College (Iowa). While Kenyon struggled to secure victories in doubles, the Owls powered past Grinnell in the singles matches, winning all but one. Alejandro Gonzalez ’26, Maximo Llamas Castellanos ’29, Juozas Cioladis ’28, Rohan Sriram ’28 and Stylianos Papamichael ’29 controlled the momentum and all secured straight-set victories. Paulo Pocasangre Kreling ’26 showed impressive grit and earned a hard-fought win in a final-set tiebreak, giving Kenyon the 5-2 triumph.
Against No. 20 University of Mary Washington (Va.), the Owls earned their second victory, 4-3. Despite losing one of the doubles matches, Kenyon snagged two victories in the other pivotal matches, contributing to the Owls’ close victory overall. Llamas Castellanos, who has had a tremendous season thus far, continued his consistent success in a three-set win. Cioladis overpowered his opponent and earned a straight-set victory that put Kenyon on top. After a dominant weekend, he was awarded NCAC Athlete of the Week.
To round out the Owls’ trip, Kenyon won its third matchup, facing off against No. 23 Christopher Newport University (Va.). The Owls swept doubles, which aided in their eventual 5-2 win. The top of Kenyon’s singles lineup won in straight-set victories, and Llamas Castellanos soared past his opponent with a 6-0, 6-4 final score.
The men’s team sees action again on April 2 when they compete against The College of Wooster, an NCAC opponent. The next day, the team will take on No. 3 Case Western Reserve University in what will be the Owls’ most difficult test this season so far.
Women: The No. 16 women’s team powered through a string of formidable opponents, winning two of three matchups against top-20 opponents.
Against No. 32 Whitman College (Wash.), the Owls put up an impressive showing in doubles, with both their second and third doubles teams earning victories. Kenyon secured straight-set wins in all but one singles match, triumphing 6-1.
The next day, however, No. 13 Johns Hopkins University (Md.) overpowered the Owls, serving them a 6-1 loss. The Owls’ only success of the afternoon came from the top of the lineup, where powerhouse duo Hana Nouaime ’28 and Leni Lazaridou ’26 controlled their match in Kenyon’s only doubles win of the matchup. Lazaridou proved to be a central and crucial factor for Kenyon in singles as well, earning the Owls a win in a three-set match.
Kenyon ended the weekend with a victory against No. 20 Williams College (Mass.), edging out Williams 4-3 to secure the win. The Owls controlled the momentum from the start, sweeping in doubles with decisive victories. Kenyon encountered some adversity in singles, falling in three matchups. However, the Owls were able to overcome their two losses and launched themselves to victory with wins on the other singles courts.
The women will be back in action on Sunday in Indianapolis, where they take on their most daunting opponent yet, No. 2 University of Chicago.