SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University women's tennis team will look to lock up the second seed out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division for the upcoming conference tournament when it concludes its regular season schedule 4 p.m. Wednesday at California (Pa.).
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live in-match results for this week's match will be provided by the SRU Women's Tennis program at the links below.
 
MATCH 19 DETAILS
Opponent: California (Pa.)
Date: Wednesday – 4 p.m.
Location: Roadman Park Tennis Complex
Live Results: Link
All-Time Series: Cal leads 17-16
Last Played: April 26, 2024 (SRU won 7-0)
 
SERIES HISTORY
While the Vulcans hold a 17-16 all-time record against The Rock in a series that originated in 1988, SRU has claimed seven consecutive victories over California. Six of those wins have come by way of shutout. The Rock last lost to the Vulcans in 2016.
 
Individually, no active Rock athlete has lost a singles match over their careers against competitors from California.
 
Dari Sakhanova (3-0)
2022-23: Maria Ojeda (Won - 6-1, 6-0)
2023-24: Lilli Schreiber (Won - 6-0, 6-1)
2024-25: Teddi Isherwood (Won - 6-2, 6-4)
 
Tina Slovak (2-0)
2022-23: Kylie Feltenberger (Won - 6-0, 6-1)
2023-24: Bega Gotor (Won - 6-0, 6-0)
 
Nicole Kempton (2-0)
2023-24: Maria Del Mar Ojeda (Won - 6-0, 6-1)
2024-25: Leandra Guldimann (Won - 6-1, 6-3)
 
Amaia Balaguer Brau (1-0)
2023-24: Diletta Maria Mungo (Won - 6-2, 6-1)
 
RECORDS & LAST TIME OUT
• Slippery Rock posted a 7-0 shutout April 17 on the road at Edinboro to improve to 10-8 overall and 4-1 in conference competition.
 
• Similarly, California also registered a shutout when it defeated Clarion, 7-0, on April 19 to push its record to 14-5 overall and 4-1 inside the PSAC West.
 
TOURNAMENT TICKET PUNCHED
With its win over Edinboro, Slippery Rock officially sewed up its seventh consecutive PSAC Tournament berth.
 
ROCK AMONG TOP NINE IN ATLANTIC REGION
Slippery Rock was included in the alphabetized list of the top nine teams in the Atlantic Region when the NCAA DII Women's Tennis Committee unveiled its first set of regional rankings last week.
 
The NCAA regional rankings determine the participants for the NCAA Tournament. The Atlantic Region consists of the PSAC, the Mountain East Conference (MEC), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and select independent institutions within the region's borders.
 
All three conference tournament champions within the region receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with the next four highest ranked teams in the final regional rankings receiving at-large bids. Updated regional rankings will be released every Wednesday until the conclusion of the season.
 
The official release of the 48-team field for the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be announced 8:30 p.m. May 5 on NCAA.com.
 
SRU was joined in the regional rankings by Bloomsburg, Bluefield State, Charleston, East Stroudsburg, Fairmont State, IUP, Salem and Shaw.
 
STILL A LOT TO PLAY FOR
While both The Rock and Vulcans have already clinched spots in the upcoming PSAC Tournament Wednesday's match is hardly meaningless as the winner will secure the second seed out of the PSAC West and host an opening-round match on April 29. Additionally, a victory against California would further add to SRU's already impressive resume for NCAA Tournament contention.
 
GET USED TO THE VULCANS
Slippery Rock and California are guaranteed to face each other in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament no matter the outcome of Wednesday's match. Only the location is in questions as the winner of the regular season finale will be seeded second and earn the right to host the conference tournament showdown while the loser will be locked in as the three seed and be on the road.
 
Indiana (Pa.) earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament after clinching the regular season PSAC West championship with a perfect 6-0 divisional record.  
 
ROCK CLOSING IN ON WINNING SEASON
A victory on Wednesday at California would ensure Slippery Rock of its seventh consecutive winning season regardless of its postseason results in the PSAC Tournament, and very likely, the NCAA Tournament.
 
SHUTOUT STREAK INTACT
Slippery Rock's current four-match winning streak has come courtesy of a quartet of shutouts. A 7-0 victory over California would mark the first time since 2001 in which Slippery Rock has posted five consecutive shutout wins.
 
ROCK DUO CLOSING IN ON HISTORY
Dari Sakhanova and Tina Slovak are the next in line to join elite company inside the SRU Women's Tennis program as both juniors are in the cusp of recording their 100th career wins.
 
Entering Wednesday's match, Sakhanova has totaled 96 career victories via a 48-28 (.632) singles record and a 48-25 (.667) mark in doubles competition. Slovak is not far behind her classmate with 90 wins by way of a 36-25 (.590) singles record and 54-23 (.701) doubles mark.
 
To date, there have been 14 SRU athletes reach 100 career wins. Kayla Blackburn (2005-09) is The Rock's all-time leader in wins with 191. A full list of The Rock's 100-win club can be viewed HERE.
 
ITA RANKINGS
National Singles (April 16)
No. 32: Amaia Balaguer Brau (SRU)
 
National Doubles (April 16)
No. 46: Nicole Kempton / Alissia Kivi (SRU)
 
Regional Singles (Nov. 13)
No. 1: Amaia Balaguer Brau (SRU)
No. 6: Alissia Kivi (SRU)
No. 10: Dari Sakhanova (SRU)
No. 11: Nicole Kempton (SRU)
No. 20: Tina Slovak (SRU)
 
Regional Doubles (Nov. 13)
No. 2: Nicole Kempton / Alissia Kivi (SRU)
No. 6: Dari Sakhanova / Tina Slovak (SRU)
No. 9: Amaia Balaguer Brau / Georgie Lancaster (SRU)
No. 10: Teddi Isherwood / Leandra Guldimann (CAL)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• Stats: Link
• Overall Record: 10-8
• PSAC West Record: 4-1
• PSAC West Standings: t-2nd
• Home Record: 3-1
• Away Record: 5-4
• Neutral Site Record: 2-3
• Streak: W4
• Last Five Matches: 4-1
• Head Coach: Matt Meredith | 27th season (388-222, .635)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Slippery Rock has earned the doubles point in 13 of its 18 matches this season. Leading The Rock's doubles contingent is the nationally ranked duo of Nicole Kempton and Alissia Kivi.
 
• Kempton and Kivi – currently the 46th-ranked team in Division II – enter Wednesday on a four-match winning streak and in possession of a 23-6 overall record and a 13-4 mark from the first flight.
 
• Amaia Balaguer Brau and Tina Slovak have been nearly flawless out of The Rock's second flight where the duo has compiled a 14-3 record in addition to six straight wins. Only one of their losses in 2025 have come against a team from the Atlantic Region.
 
• Georgie Lancaster and Dari Sakhanova have come on strong as of late in No. 3 doubles action with three consecutive wins to boost their season above the .500 mark to 8-7.
 
• One of the top players in not only the Atlantic Region, but all of Division II, Balaguer Brau anchors The Rock's standard singles lineup. Ranked the No. 32 athlete in the country in last week's rankings, Balaguer Brau is making a strong push towards repeating as PSAC West Athlete of the Year with a 22-8 overall singles record that's included a 13-5 dual match showing and a perfect 5-0 conference record. She'll head to California on a nine-matching winning streak.
 
• One of the most promising rookies in the PSAC West, Kivi has enjoyed a stellar freshman season to date with a 19-7 overall record and a 12-3 tally out of the second flight. Kivi, who has won each of her last four matches, is 4-1 against her PSAC West counterparts.
 
• In the midst of a seven-matching winning streak of her own, Kempton has matched Balaguer Brau with a perfect 5-0 PSAC West record which has bolstered her overall mark in 2024-25 to 17-8 and her dual match record to 12-6 (12-3 from the third flight).
 
• A trio of Rock veterans make up the back half of SRU's singles lineup. Typically Slippery Rock's fourth-flight entrant, Slovak is 11-9 overall and 10-6 in dual matches. Sakhanova has tallied a 17-9 overall record as a junior to go with a 9-5 record out of the fifth flight with Lancaster rounding out the group at 11-11 overall and 8-8 in dual matches.
 
CALIFORNIA PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• Stats: Link
• Overall Record: 14-5
• PSAC West Record: 4-1
• PSAC West Standings: t-2nd
• Home Record: 4-2
• Away Record: 6-2
• Neutral Site Record: 4-1
• Streak: W2
• Last Five Matches: 3-2
• Head Coach: Anita Onufer | Sixth season (40-51, .440)
 
PROBABLE LINEUP (DUAL MATCH RECORD)
Singles
1-Teddi Isherwood (11-5)
2-Leandra Guldimann (10-5)
3-Diletta Maria Mungo (15-3)
4-Garance Laforet (12-5)
5-Lilli Schreiber (10-6)
6-Anika Hedrich (7-5) 
Doubles
1-Isherwood / Guldimann (11-6)
2-Mungo / Laforet (4-2)
3-Hedrich / Izabelle Heacox (3-1)
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock and California will meet April 29 in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament at a time and location yet to be determined.
 




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