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GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College Owls whipped up a 9-0 win against The College of Wooster Fighting Scots on Wednesday afternoon. The Owls defended their home court and won 96 of 102 games in their season’s first North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) dual, starting their NCAC Championship title defense off on the right foot.
No. 29-ranked Kenyon got back to .500 with the win, improving to 6-6 this season and starting their NCAC campaign with a 1-0 mark. Additionally, the Owls improved to 4-1 at the Jasper Tennis Center. Wooster fell to 3-10 overall this season, including a 0-2 record in NCAC contests. The conference win marks Kenyon’s 26th straight victory in league matchups, a stretch that extends all the way back to the 2014-15 season.
A pair of first-year teammates sparked Kenyon’s strong outing. The doubles pair of Ana Brand and Madeline Chappars quickly clinched an 8-0 sweep of the No. 3 doubles match, putting the Owls on the board early. Wooster’s other doubles teams put up more of a fight, but Kenyon came away with an 8-1 win at No. 1 and an 8-3 decision at No. 2.
More sweeps were on the way in singles as Kenyon secured all six matches in straight sets. The only games the Owls conceded came in the top two bouts, as the Scots’ top players each picked up one game.
Shadia Amado Aguad did not need much time to rack up her 10th singles win in duals this season. The sophomore put Kenyon up 4-0 with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the No. 3 match, her eighth straight win. Eleni Dakos followed suit shortly after with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the No. 4 spot, clinching the Kenyon victory.
Eleni Lazaridou and Allaire Berl took care of business in the top two tests. Lazaridou won 6-0, 6-1, while Berl won a fourth straight match, a 6-1, 6-0 decision.
After opening the dual with a combined, Chappars and Brand bookended the day with matching 6-0, 6-0 singles victories. Chappars clinched her victory first when she won the No. 6 bout, improving to 4-1 in duals this season, and Brand put a bow on Kenyon’s 9-0 victory with a win in the No. 5 match.
With a four-game homestand in the books, the Owls open a three-game road trip with a pair of NCAC contests this weekend. Kenyon takes on Ohio Wesleyan University at noon on Saturday, April 6, before battling Wittenberg University at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 7.
