LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Amaia Balaguer Brau was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Athlete of the Year and Alissia Kivi earned PSAC West Freshman of the Year accolades as the Slippery Rock University women's tennis team earned seven total all-conference honors, the league office announced Friday with the unveiling of its annual awards.
 
In addition to repeating as the Western Division's Athlete of the Year, Balaguer Brau was also recognized as a first team all-league performer for both singles and doubles. Likewise, Kivi also garnered first team All-PSAC West singles and doubles accolades to go with her Freshman of the Year honor.
 
Making up the other halves of The Rock's two firs team All-PSAC West doubles pairings were Nicole Kempton and Tina Slovak. Additionally, Kempton was also tabbed a second team All-PSAC West performer in singles competition.
 
Balaguer Brau becomes the fifth repeat PSAC West Athlete of the Year since the conference split into Eastern and Western divisions in 2005, joining Inga Chilingaryan (California 2006 / 2007), Helena Van Eysendeyk (California 2008 / 2009), Tanya Timko: (Indiana 2014 / 2015) and Saioa Gomez de Segura (Mercyhurst 2016 / 2017 / 2018).
 
In the last six years in which postseason awards have been distributed, a Slippery Rock athlete has earned the PSAC West's highest honor four times with Balaguer Brau earning the recognition in 2024 and 2025 as well as Lacey Cohen and Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez capturing the award in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
 
Kivi meanwhile is the seventh Rock rookie to be cited as division's Freshman of the Year. SRU has now netted the award in each of the last three years: two seasons ago Dari Sakhanova was bestowed with the honor followed by Kempton in 2024.
 
The trio have carried on a legacy of Slippery Rock athletes being recognized as the PSAC's top rookie that also includes Cohen (2017), Jessica Bungo (2001), Ashley Michaux (2003), Kayla Blackburn (2006) and Laura Handy (2007).
 
Slippery Rock's 2025 All-PSAC West honorees have helped guide SRU to what has become one of the top seasons in program history. As part of its 15-9 record, Slippery Rock has gone 14-5 against Division II competition.
 
SRU's postseason path has seen The Rock advance to the finals of PSAC Tournament for a fourth consecutive season prior to earning an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
The Rock posted a 4-0 shutout of Shaw University in the first round of the national tournament before downing Indiana (Pa.), 4-3, in the second round to secure a spot in the Round of 16 for the fourth time in program history.
 
Slippery Rock has now made 21 NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and 20 trips to the national tournament under head coach Matt Meredith. SRU has won at least one NCAA Tournament match in each of the last four years.
 
SRU will meet No. 2 Nova Southeastern University 12 p.m. May 21 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida in the Round of 16 with the winner moving on for a quarterfinal match against either Azusa Pacific or Nebraska - Kearney 9 a.m. May 22.
 
A look at the season highlights for each of The Rock's All-PSAC selections can be found below.

AMAIA BALAGUER BRAU: PSAC West Athlete of the Year / 1st Team Singles
Balaguer Brau earned her second consecutive Athlete of the Year honor courtesy of a dominant all-around campaign that was highlighted by a singles performance that has seen the junior compile a 27-9 overall record with a perfect 6-0 PSAC West record and an 18-6 mark out of the first flight. Prior to the team portion of the season Balaguer Brau won the ITA Atlantic Region championship to advance to the prestigious ITA Cup.
 
Her 27 singles victories are tied for the fourth-highest single-season win total in documented program history. Additionally, Balaguer Brau's 14-match winning streak (March 21-May 12) represented the sixth longest dual match winning streak all-time at The Rock.
 
For her efforts, Balaguer Brau has spent virtually the entire season in the ITA's national singles rankings. She's currently the No. 44 athlete in all of Division II.
 
ALISSIA KIVI: PSAC West Freshman of the Year / 1st Team Singles
Coming to The Rock from Harjumaa, Estonia, Kivi wasted little time establishing herself as one of the top athletes – rookie or otherwise – in the entire Atlantic Region. Prior to the team portion of the year, Kivi made a splash at the ITA Atlantic Region championships by advancing to the quarterfinals of the singles bracket.
 
During the team portion of the year Kivi played out of The Rock's second flight where she went 16-4 including a near perfect 5-1 PSAC West record. All told, Kivi heads into the third round of the NCAA Tournament holding a 23-8 overall singles record. Her 16 second flight wins represent the seventh highest single-season total in program history.  
 
NICOLE KEMPTON / ALISSIA KIVI: 1st Team Doubles
The youthful pairing of Kempton and Kivi – the last two PSAC West Freshman of the Year award winners – combined to anchor The Rock's doubles efforts as the duo played a pivotal role in SRU taking the team point in 18 of 24 matches this season.
 
Starting with an appearance in the ITA Atlantic Region doubles bracket championship match, Kempton and Kivi ran through the gauntlet of competition virtually unscathed in 2024-25. They have strung together an overall record of 26-7 while going 16-5 in dual matches and a perfect 6-0 in PSAC West contests.
 
The dominant season has resulted in being ranked as the No. 38 doubles team in the nation while their 26 wins are tied for sixth most doubles triumphs in a single-season at SRU.
 
TINA SLOVAK / AMAIA BALAGUER BRAU: 1st Team Doubles
Like Kempton and Kivi, Slovak and Balaguer Brau were also in the first year as partners in The Rock's doubles rotation – and like their top flight teammates, SRU's No. 2 doubles team proved to be virtually unbeatable as well.
 
Playing together strictly in dual matches, Slovak and Balaguer Brau were a stellar 18-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 inside the PSAC West. The duo had two winning streaks of at least seven matches including a nine-bout stretch that is tied for the ninth longest in documented program history.
 
NICOLE KEMPTON: 2nd Team Singles
Proving the 2024 season in which she was tabbed the PSAC West's top freshman was no fluke, Kempton not only avoided any sort of a sophomore slump, she showed remarkable improvement.
 
In addition to her previously mentioned strong doubles showing, the South Park, Pennsylvania native also put together a remarkable singles campaign by going 20-9 overall, 15-7 in dual matches while competing primarily out of the third flight and going a perfect 6-0 in the PSAC West. Of her nine losses, only five have come against fellow Division II competition.
 
Kempton is one of four 20-match winners at SRU alongside Balaguer Brau (27), Kivi (23) and Sakhanova (21).





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