SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University women's tennis team continues its run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament 12 p.m. Wednesday when it meets No. 2 Nova Southeastern University in the Round of 16 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live in-match results will be provided by the Rollins College Athletic Communications department at the below link.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT – ROUND of 16
Opponent: Nova Southeastern University
Date: Wednesday – 12 p.m.
Location: Sanlando Park – Altamonte Springs, Florida
Live Results: Link
All-Time Series: First meeting
Last Played: N/A
 
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START
Always a program that will play a tough non-conference schedule to prepare itself for the rigors of the postseason and key late season matches, SRU opened the year with just three wins out of its first nine matches before rattling off 12 victories in its final 15 contests to enter the Round of 16 as one of the hottest programs in the nation.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
The NCAA Tournament is comprised of 48 teams, 20 automatic berths and 28 at-large selections, spanning eight regions. The teams first played a single-elimination tournament at 16 preliminary round regional sites with the champions from each regional location having advanced to Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida for the final four rounds which will be conducted over the next five days culminating with the national championship match 9 a.m. Sunday.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORING
The NCAA Tournament will run in a dual-match format with three doubles teams followed by six singles matches. The doubles matches will be played as three, six-game pro sets with a seven-point tiebreaker at six-all. Singles matches will be run as six best-of-three sets matches. Teams that win two of the three doubles matches earn a point. Each singles match earns a team one point. Teams must win four or more points to win a match.

SEEDING
At the conclusion of the regional tournaments, the 16 advancing teams were re-seeded to decide the bracket for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament. Slippery Rock was positioned 15th amongst the group while Nova Southeastern was slotted second behind No. 1 Barry.
 
A full tournament bracket can be viewed HERE.
 
NCAA Tournament Seeds
1-4: Barry (1), Nova Southeastern (2), Midwestern State (3), North Georgia (4)
5-8: Flagler (5), Dallas Baptist (6), Azusa Pacific (7), Point Loma (8)
9-12: Augustana (9), Nebraska-Kearney (10), Wayne State (11), Charleston (12)
13-16: Queens (13), Rockhurst (14), The Rock (15), St. Thomas Aquinas (16)
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Slippery Rock punched its ticket to the Round of 16 by advancing to the championship match of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament to place The Rock's record at 13-9 overall, but more importantly 12-5 against Division II competition which was more than enough to secure an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Rock then rolled to a 4-0 opening-round victory over Shaw University before outlasting regional host – and 31st-ranked - Indiana University (Pa.) for a dramatic 4-3 win in the second round.
 
Nova Southeastern enters Wednesday's match as the nation's second ranked team thanks to a 22-3 record. Of its three losses, two have come against Barry University: The No. 1 team in the ITA Division II team rankings and the tournament's top seed.
 
Like The Rock, the Sharks advanced to the finals of their conference tournament which was ultimately a 4-3 loss to Barry with the Sunshine State Conference crown on the line before rolling through its regional with back-to-back 4-0 wins over Tuskegee University and the University of West Alabama.
 
SRU NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Slippery Rock is in its 21st NCAA Tournament all-time, the most of any team in the PSAC. SRU has now earned national tournament berths 16 times in the last 19 years under the direction of head coach Matt Meredith, who has been in charge of the program for 20 of The Rock's NCAA Tournament appearances overall.
 
SRU has won four regional championships (2025, 2010, 2008, 2003). To date, The Rock's best showing in the NCAA Tournament came in 2010 when they advanced to the national quarterfinals. Overall, Slippery Rock has won 17 matches in the NCAA Tournament all-time.
 
Nova Southeastern, which joined NCAA Division II in 2002, has established itself as one of the premiere programs in the nation over the last seven years. Since 2018-19, the Sharks have gone a combined 144-24 with six NCAA Tournament berths. After losing the championship match to Barry in 2023, Nova Southeastern broke through for its first national title a year ago when it avenged the 2023 loss with a 4-2 win against Barry.
 
IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK
Wednesday's match marks The Rock's return to the Round of 16 that has been 15 years in the making. SRU advanced to the Round of 16 three times over an eight-year stretch between 2003 and 2010 with the 2010 team downing St. Cloud State (5-3) in the match before having its championship hopes dashed in a 5-0 quarterfinal loss to Lynn.
 
While SRU would go on to play in regional finals four times from 2011-2024, it couldn't quite re-capture the 2010 magic until this year's team returned The Rock to the NCAA Tournament's final site.
 
TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS
Awards have been bountiful for members of the Slippery Rock women's tennis team in 2025.
 
Amaia Balaguer Brau
• ITA Atlantic Region singles champion
• ITA Atlantic Region Player to Watch
• PSAC West Athlete of the Year
• First Team All-PSAC West (Singles)
• First Team All-PSAC West (Doubles with Tina Slovak)
• PSAC West Athlete of the Week (3x)
 
Alissia Kivi
• ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year
• PSAC West Freshman of the Year
• First Team All-PSAC West (Singles)
• First Team All-PSAC West (Doubles with Nicole Kempton)
• ITA Atlantic Region doubles champion runner-up (with Nicole Kempton)
 
Nicole Kempton
• First Team All-PSAC West (Doubles with Alissia Kivi)
• Second Team All-PSAC West (Singles)
• ITA Atlantic Region doubles champion runner-up (with Alissia Kivi)
• CSC Academic All-District Team
 
Tina Slovak
• First Team All-PSAC West (Doubles with Amaia Balaguer Brau)
• CSC Academic All-District Team
 
Dari Sakhanova
• PSAC West Athlete of the Week (1x)
• CSC Academic All-District Team
 
Georgie Lancaster
• CSC Academic All-District Team
 
PRESSURE PLAYERS
With only one freshman in its standard lineup, Slippery Rock has a wealth of postseason experience up and down its roster. Six members of SRU's 2025 roster has competed in – and won – in the postseason already in their careers during either conference tournament or NCAA Tournament competition.
 
SRU Records in the Postseason (PSAC / NCAA Tournament)
• Amaia Balaguer Brau*: 8-2
• Dari Sakhanova: 7-5
• Tina Slovak: 5-4
• Georgie Lancaster: 4-2
• Alissia Kivi: 3-1
• Nicole Kempton: 3-2
• Amaia Balaguer Brau / Tina Slovak: 3-1
• Nicole Kempton / Alissia Kivi: 2-1
• Georgie Lancaster / Dari Sakhanova: 1-2
 
* Matches at Saint Thomas Aquinas included.
 
ITA RANKINGS
Team (April 30)
No. 2: Nova Southeastern
 
National Singles (April 30)
No. 3: Kristyna Hranacova (NSU)
No. 18: Ita Habekovic (NSU)
No. 44: Amaia Balaguer Brau (SRU)
No. 56: Isabella Ciancaglini (NSU)
 
National Doubles (April 30)
No. 10: Kristyna Hranacova / Ita Habekovic (NSU)
No. 16: Kristyna Hranacova / Isabella Ciancaglini (NSU)
No. 38: Nicole Kempton / Alissia Kivi (SRU)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• Stats: Link
• Overall Record: 15-9
• NCAA Tournament Seed: No. 15
• Home Record: 5-2
• Away Record: 7-3
• Neutral Site Record: 3-4
• Streak: W2
• Last Five Matches: 4-1
• Head Coach: Matt Meredith | 27th season (393-223, .638)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Headlined by two first team All-PSAC West pairings, Slippery Rock has earned the doubles point in 17 of 24 matches this season.
 
• The nationally ranked combination of underclassmen sophomore Nicole Kempton and freshman Alissia Kivi spearhead The Rock's doubles attack as the duo have posted a 26-7 overall record including a 16-5 showing in dual matches.
 
• Another of SRU's first-year groupings consists of senior Tina Slovak and junior Amaia Balaguer Brau. Having only teamed together since the start of the dual match portion of the season, Slovak and Balaguer Brau will bring an 18-4 record from the second flight into Wednesday's match.
 
• Rounding out The Rock's doubles contingent is senior Georgie Lancaster and junior Dari Sakhanova. The only Rock doubles team with two members who have been on the roster for at least three years, the veteran combination is 10-9 out of the third flight in 2025.
 
• Simply put, Balaguer Brau has produced one of the most dominant individual seasons in program history. Not only was she a perfect 6-0 in conference play, the two-time PSAC West Athlete of the Year has also compiled a 27-9 overall record while being 18-6 out of the first flight. Her wins have come in bunches as evidenced by separate winning streaks of 14 and nine matches in 2025.
 
• The latest in a long line of dominant rookies at The Rock, Kivi sports a 23-8 overall record while playing primarily from the second flight where she has come away victorious in 16 of 20 attempts in 2025. She has lost just one match in the last 52 calendar days and even that loss went three sets.
 
• Following up on a standout rookie campaign that garnered her 2024 PSAC West Freshman of the Year accolades, Kempton proved without a doubt that her first-year success was no fluke by way of a 20-9 singles record as a sophomore. She has gone 15-4 when competing from the third flight. Kempton has played her best tennis down stretch with 10 wins in her last 11 completed matches.
 
• After serving as Slippery Rock's primary fifth-flight entry in her first two years with the program, Slovak moved up to the fourth flight in 2025 and has not missed a step as evidenced by her 11-6 record from the position. Her six-match winning streak is the longest active string of consecutive victories of any Rock athlete.
 
• Sakhanova, who started SRU's current streak of PSAC West Freshman of the Year honorees in 2023, is one of four Rock athletes to have reached the 20-win plateau with a 21-10 overall record including a 13-6 tally out of the fifth flight.
 
• The newest member of The Rock's 100-win club, Sakhanova has earned 102 career victories (singles+doubles) since coming to SRU and is already the 13th winningest athlete in program history with a year of eligibility remaining.
 
• Lancaster was the hero of the Shaw match, as Slippery Rock's senior leader delivered a clutch 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) victory in the final completed contest of the match to send SRU to its first Round of 16 appearance in 15 years. A winner in seven of her last eight completed matches, Lancaster a 14-12 overall record that includes a 10-9 mark in sixth flight play.
 
ROCKING THE RECORD BOOKS
Slippery Rock's record book is littered with names of current SRU athletes both in single-season and career categories.
 
Singles Records
Career Wins
t-13: Dari Sakhanova (52)
t-20: Amaia Balaguer Brau (46)
Career First Flight Wins
5. Amaia Balaguer Brau (33)
Career Third Flight Wins
2: Dari Sakhanova (27)
t-7: Nicole Kempton (17)
Career Fifth Flight Wins
t-4: Tina Slovak (18)
Career Sixth Flight Wins
3. Georgie Lancaster (25)
Single-Season Wins
t-4: Amaia Balaguer Brau (27)
Single-Season First Flight Wins
9: Amaia Balaguer Brau (18)
Single-Season Second Flight Wins
7. Alissia Kivi (16)
Single-Season Third Flight Wins
t-4. Nicole Kempton (15)
Single-Season Fourth Flight Wins
t-8. Tina Slovak (11)
Single-Season Fifth Flight Wins
t-3. Dari Sakhanova (13)
Single Season Sixth Flight Wins
t-4. Georgie Lancaster (10)
 
Doubles Records
Career Wins
t-11. Tina Slovak (58)
t-17. Dari Sakhanova (50)
Career Second Flight Wins
10. Tina Slovak (25)
Career Third Flight Wins
t-2. Dari Sakhanova (35)
t-11. Tina Slovak (24)
Single-Season Doubles Wins
t-6. Nicole Kempton (26)
t-6. Alissia Kivi (26)
t-10. Tina Slovak (24)
 
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• Stats: Link
• Overall Record: 22-3
• NCAA Tournament Seed: No. 2
• Home Record: 10-1
• Away Record: 6-1
• Neutral Site Record: 6-1
• Streak: W2
• Last Five Matches: 4-1
• Head Coach: Doug Neagle | 9th season at NSU (162-48, .771)
 
PROBABLE LINEUP (DUAL MATCH RECORD)
Singles
1-Kristyna Hranacova (18-4)
2-Ita Habekovic (19-2)
3-Sofia Shing (16-5)
4-Isabella Ciancaglini (18-3)
5-Noemie Dadoun (11-6)
6-Julia Moraes (20-3)
Doubles
1-Hranacova / Ciancaglini (4-0)
2-Dadoun / Shing (1-1)
3-Habekovic / Moraes (4-1)
 
UP NEXT
The winner of Wednesday's match moves on to the national quarterfinals 9 a.m. May 22 for a match against either Nebraska-Kearney or Azusa Pacific.
 
 
 


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