CLEVELAND, OH – Kenyon has been named the unanimous favorite for the 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) women's tennis season, based on votes submitted by the league coaches.
The Kenyon Owls, aiming for their fourth-consecutive and 23rd overall NCAC title, topped the 2026 Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll with 64 points and all eight first-place votes. Denison secured second with 56 points, followed by DePauw in third with 45 points and John Carroll in fourth with 42 points. Oberlin (32), Wooster (22), Ohio Wesleyan (18), and Wittenberg (9) rounded out the eight-team field.
Last season, Kenyon recorded an overall record of 16-7, an undefeated 6-0 mark in league play, and earned both the league and NCAC tournament titles. In the NCAA Championships, the Owls advanced to the third round for the fourth time in program history before falling to No. 9 WashU (4-0).
Kenyon returns five players, who hold seven all-conference certificates from a season ago. Senior
Eleni Lazaridou (Veroia, Greece/4th Lyceum of Veria) returns after claiming her third-consecutive NCAC Player of the Year honor and posting a 15-2 dual record at the top singles flight. Lazaridou and sophomore
Hana Nouaime (Eagleville, PA/Methacton) also earned the NCAC Doubles Team of the Year award after finishing 15-5 at the No. 1 doubles flight, including a perfect 4-0 mark against conference opponents. Nouaime added a third-team all-conference singles certificate after going 11-7 in dual matches across the No. 3, 4, and 5 flights.
Also back for the Owls is senior
Shadia Amado Aguad (Arequipa, Peru/Colegio Anglo Americano Presco), a first-team All-NCAC selection in singles after posting a 12-7 dual record across the top three flights. Junior
Ana Brand (Aschaffenburg, Germany/Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium) returns after earning a second-team all-conference singles nod with an 11-4 record. Rounding out Kenyon's returning All-NCAC honorees is sophomore
Clare Hudson (Louisville, KY/Assumption), who picked up second-team nods in both singles and doubles after recording a 16-5 singles mark and a 14-4 doubles record alongside Amado Aguad.
The 2026 season begins on January 31, while the first league match is slated for February 8, with Kenyon facing off against Ohio Wesleyan and John Carroll. The NCAC Tournament will be held on Friday-Sunday, May 1-3.
2026 North Coast Athletic Conference
Women's Tennis Coaches' Poll |
| Place |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Kenyon (8) |
64 |
| 2 |
Denison |
56 |
| 3 |
DePauw |
45 |
| 4 |
John Carroll |
42 |
| 5 |
Oberlin |
32 |
| 6 |
Wooster |
22 |
| 7 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
18 |
| 8 |
Wittenberg |
9 |