Final ITA Rankings
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Following one of the best seasons in program history, the Slippery Rock University women's tennis team was well represented in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's year-end rankings.
 
Not only did Slippery Rock close 2025 as the No. 49 team in the nation, SRU also placed athletes in both the singles and doubles national individual rankings as well as having a plethora of regionally ranked athletes.
 
On the national stage, The Rock's top doubles team of Alissia Kivi and Nicole Kempton were marked as the No. 38 pairing in Division II while Amaia Balaguer Brau ended the season 60th in the singles rankings.
 
Inside the Atlantic Region, Slippery Rock accounted for five of the top-20 singles athlete with Balaguer Brau leading the way in first place followed by Kivi (No. 4), Kempton (No. 7), Tina Slovak (No. 11) and Dari Sakhanova (No. 19).
 
Similarly, SRU also largely controlled the Atlantic Region doubles rankings as the only school with two teams in the top five. Kivi and Kempton were situated third in the Atlantic Region while Slovak and Balaguer Brau were fifth.
 
Slippery Rock concluded its season with a 15-10 overall record, including a 14-6 showing against fellow Division II competition. After making the finals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament and winning its section of the regional tournament, SRU advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 for the first time since 2010.
 
A look at the season highlights for each of The Rock's national and regionally ranked athletes can be found below.
 
AMAIA BALAGUER BRAU: National: No. 60 / Atlantic Region: No. 1
Named the PSAC Athlete of the Year for a second consecutive season as well as earning first team all-conference recognition and being named the ITA Atlantic Region's Player to Watch. Balaguer Brau produced one of the top singles seasons in program history by compiling a 27-10 overall record which included an 18-7 record from the first flight and a perfect 6-0 PSAC West mark. Among her numerous top accolades in 2025 was winning the ITA Atlantic Region singles tournament and posting two winning streaks of at least nine matches (9 / 14).
 
ALISSIA KIVI: Atlantic Region: No. 4
Earned PSAC West Freshman of the Year and ITA Atlantic Rookie of the Year accolades as one of the top newcomers in Division II in addition to being a first team All-PSAC West selection. Kivi spent the majority of the season playing form The Rock's second flight on the way to going 23-8 overall, 17-6 in dual matches and a near flawless 5-1 in conference competition.
 
NICOLE KEMPTON: Atlantic Region: No. 7
Followed up on a rookie year in 2024 in which she took PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors, Kempton earned second team All-PSAC West singles recognition following a sophomore campaign in which she was 20-9 overall with a 15-4 showing out of SRU's third singles flight including a perfect 6-0 PSAC West record.
 
TINA SLOVAK: Atlantic Region: No. 11
Garnered her lofty regional ranking by tallying a 14-9 overall record. Slovak was 13-6 in dual matches, 11-6 out of the fourth flight and 4-1 in the PSAC West. She closed the year on a six-match winning streak and will enter her senior campaign three victories away from becoming The Rock's 16th athlete to register 100 career wins (singles + doubles).
 
DARI SAKHANOVA: Atlantic Region: No. 19
Sakhanova, the 2023 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, continued what has turned into a great collegiate career by surpassing the 20-win plateau for the first time. She was 21-11 overall, 15-9 in dual matches primarily out of the fifth flight and 5-1 in the PSAC West while joining SRU's 100-win club. Five of her 11 losses came against opponents outside of Division II.
 
KIVI / KEMPTON: National: No. 38 / Atlantic Region: No. 3
In their first season as a team, Kivi and Kempton were first team All-PSAC West choices after combining to anchor The Rock's doubles efforts as the duo played a pivotal role in SRU taking the team point in 18 of 25 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 strung together an overall record of 26-8 while going 16-6 in dual matches and a perfect 6-0 in PSAC West contests.
 
BALAGUER BRAU / SLOVAK: Atlantic Region: No. 5
Like The Rock's other ranked doubles team, Slovak and Balaguer Brau were also in their first season playing together. The new combination proved dominant as they were first team All-PSAC selections while closing the season with a stellar 18-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 record 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.





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