BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Highlighted by Tina Slovak winning her 100th career match, the Slippery Rock University women's tennis team gave a strong performance to open its 2025-26 campaign this weekend at the Husky Invitational.
 
Slovak earned three total victories over the Husky Invitational with one singles triumph and two doubles victories, to reach the impressive career milestone. She is the 16th athlete in program history to reach 100 career wins.
 
The 2025 Husky Invitational was divided into several brackets including "Maroon", "Gold", "Silver" and "Blue". The Rock had entries in all competitions. Athletes from Slippery Rock, Bloomsburg University and Morgan State University took part in the event.

SINGLES DRAWS
Picking up where they left off a season ago, Amaia Balaguer Brau and Alissia Kivi were both dominant in their singles matches out of the Marron draw.
 
Balaguer Brau, who closed 2024-25 as the No. 60 singles athlete in Division II, beat Chestnut Hill's Elena Arenas (6-0, 6-2) and Morgan State's Lauren Hall (6-2, 6-4). Equally as impressive was Kivi, who downed Lia Sophie Seele of Bloomsburg (6-3, 6-1) and Chestnut Hill's Milica Zagorac (6-0, 6-0).
 
The final match of the Marron bracket between the two Rock standouts was not contested.

All three of Slippery Rock's singles competitors in the Gold draw earned wins. Slovak defeated Bloomsburg's Jennifer McDonald (6-1, 6-1) in the first round before losing in the semifinals to Damla Arsland (MSU).
 
While Nicole Kempton and Dari Sakhanova both lost their opening-round matches in three sets, the veteran pair rebounded with consolation wins as Kempton beat McDonald (6-2, 6-3) and Sakhanova downed Bloomsburg's Nikki Ilkovic (6-1, 6-3).

Nadia Rodewald had a great start to her Slippery Rock career by advancing to the championship match in the Silver bracket.
 
Rodewald, a transfer from Grand Valley State University, bested Bloomsburg's Macarena Arisio (6-1, 6-0) in the first round and Chestnut Hill's Lily Bendel (6-4, 6-3) in the semifinals before falling to Morgan State's Roua Limem in a tight 3-6, 7-5, 10-2 title match.
 
Also earning her first win for the Green and White in the Silver draw was Grove City College transfer Anna Poranski, who defeated Sarah Buck of Bloomsburg (2-6, 7-5, 10-4) in a consolation bout.

Marika Kempinski went 1-1 out of the Blue bracket. Following a loss Tyler Williams of Morgan State (6-0, 6-0), Kempinski rebounded to defeat Bloomsburg's Maddie Delisio (7-6, 6-0).

DOUBLES
Slippery Rock sent its top two doubles pairings from a year ago into the Maroon doubles bracket.
 
Kivi and Kempton, which finished last season as the 38th-ranked team in the nation, made it to the finals of the draw. Following a bye in the first round, Kempton and Kivi beat Julia Jeffrey / Tyler Williams of Morgan State (6-4) before falling in the finals to MSU's Damla Arslan / Lauryn Hall (6-0).
 
After losing in the first round, Balaguer Brau and Slovak bounced back to win two consolation matches en route to a fifth-place finish.

The Rock placed two pairings into the Golde doubles draw in Sakhanova / Rodewald and Poranski /Kempinski.
 
While Poranski and Kempinski lost their semifinal match after a first-round bye, Sakhanova and Rodewald claimed the bracket's title. They first defeated Lily Sierka / Sarah Buck (6-0) and Elena Arenas / Milicia Zagorac (7-5) to set up a finals bout with Marta Serra / Roua Limem which The Rock's duo won 6-2.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock continues the individual portion of its fall season Sept. 13-14 at the Bucknell University Invitational.
 
RESULTS
MAROON SINGLES
First Round: Amaia Balaguer Brau def. Elena Arenas (CHU) (6-0, 6-2)
First Round: Alissia Kivi def. Lia Sophie Seele (BU) (6-3, 6-1)
Second Round: Amaia Balaguer Brauvs def. Lauren Hall (MSU) (6-2, 6-4)
Second Round: Alissia Kivi vs. Milica Zagorac (CHU) (6-0, 6-0)
 
MAROON DOUBLES
First Round: Alissia Kivi / Nicole Kempton BYE
First Round: Damla Arslan / Lauryn Hall (MSU) def. Amaia Balaguer Brau / Tina Slovak (6-2)
Semifinals: Alissia Kivi / Nicole Kempton def. Julia Jeffrey / Tyler Williams (MSU) (6-4)
Championship: Damla Arslan / Lauryn Hall (MSU) def. Alissia Kivi / Nicole Kempton (6-0)
Consolation: Amaia Balaguer Brau / Tina Slovak def. Lilly Bandel / Veronika Lundgen (CHU) 6-1
Fifth-Place Match: Amaia Balaguer Brau / Tina Slovak def. Jennifer McDonald / Nicole Iikovic (BU) (6-1)
 
GOLD SINGLES
First Round: Damla Arslan (MSU) def. Nicole Kempton (6-7, 6-1, 10-7)
First Round: Tina Slovak def. Jennifer McDonald (BU) (6-1, 6-1)
First Round: Veronika Lundgren (CHU) def. Dari Sakhanova (1-6, 6-4, 12-10)
Semifinals: Damla Arslan (MSU) def. Tina Slovak (6-0, 6-2)
Consolation: Nicole Kempton def. Jennifer McDonald (BU) (6-2, 6-3)
Consolation: Dari Sakhanova def. Nikki Ilkovic (BU) (6-1, 6-3)
 
GOLD DOUBLES
First Round: Anna Poranski / Marika Kempinski BYE
First Round: Dari Sakhanova / Nadia Rodewald def. Lily Sierka / Sarah Buck (BU) (6-0)
Semifinals: Dari Sakhanova / Nadia Rodewald def. Elena Arenas / Milicia Zagorac (CHU) (7-5)
Semifinals: Marta Serra / Roua Limem (MSU) def. Anna Poranski / Marika Kempinski (6-0)
Championship: Dari Sakhanova / Nadia Rodewald def. Marta Serra / Roua Limem (MSU (6-2)
Third-Place Match: Elena Arenas / Milicia Zagorac (CHU) def. Anna Poranski / Marika Kempinski (6-1)
 
SILVER SINGLES
First Round: Lily Sierka (BU) def Anna Poranski (6-0, 6-3)
First Round: Nadia Rodewald def. Macarena Arisio (BU) (6-1, 6-0)
Semifinals: Nadia Rodewald def. Lily Bendel (CHU) (6-4, 6-3)
Championship: Roua Limem (MSU) def. Nadia Rodewald (3-6, 7-5, 10-2)
Consolation: Anna Poranski def. Sarah Buck (BU) (2-6, 7-5, 10-4)
Consolation: Macarena Arisio (BU) def. Anna Poranski (6-2, 6-4)
 
BLUE SINGLES
First Round: Tyler Williams (MSU) def. Marika Kempinski (6-0, 6-0)
Consolation: Marika Kempinski def. Maddie Delisio (BU) (7-6, 6-0)
 
 


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