SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University women's tennis standouts Nicole Kempton and Nadia Rodewald begin their time at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Individual Championships Wednesday with an opening-round match in the doubles draw.
 
ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The ITA Division II Individual Championships take place this week (Wednesday-Sunday) at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. All selected entries for the event are guaranteed of competing in at least three matches.
 
Automatic berths were given to the champions and runners-up from the eight ITA regional championship sites, with remaining field in both draws being made up of 16 at-large berths that were selected by the ITA Operating Committee. 
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The ITA will be providing live results, video and photos at the below links free of charge.
 
Watch Live: Here
Results: Here
Photos: Here
 
THE DRAW (Full Bracket)
In a matchup of unseeded teams, Kempton and Rodewald will compete against Daniela Tijaro and Mariana Silva of Washburn University 5:30 p.m. (EST) Wednesday. If weather in the area persists, the match may be moved inside with a 7:30 p.m. (EST) start.
 
The winner of that match moves on to the second round to play either second-seeded Emily Buchanan / Ann Cabot Stockett of Mississippi College or University of Indianapolis'
Magda Kornijczuk / Jimena De Pablos Hernando.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Kempton and Rodewald earned an at-large bid into the elite tournament field after what was a great fall season for the duo that are in their first year as a pairing, culminating with a semifinal appearance at the ITA Atlantic Region Championships.
 
Tijaro and Silva earned an at-large berth into the field after advancing to the quarterfinals of the ITA Central Region Championships earlier in the fall.
 
ABOUT THE ROCK'S ENTRIES
Nicole Kempton: The senior most member of The Rock's 2026-27 roster, Kempton has been a stalwart for SRU through the duration of what's turned into a great collegiate career.
 
On the court, Kempton is the eighth winningest athlete in program history with 130 total victories as well as being a six-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division honoree and the 2024 PSAC West Freshman of the Year. Also a dedicated student, Kempton is a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American.
 
Nadia Rodewald: After beginning her collegiate career at Grand Valley State University as a freshman in 2024-25, Rodewald transferred to The Rock for her sophomore season a year ago and played a key role on a team that went 16-4, won a PSAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16. In addition to being 19-7 in singles play last year, Rodewald was a near perfect 23-3 in doubles competition.
 
AS A TEAM
While it is their first season as a team, their early success should come as no surprise as both Kempton and Rodewald have enjoyed great success in doubles competition at The Rock throughout their respective careers.
 
A year ago, Kempton partnered with Alissia Kivi to advance to the ITA Atlantic Region championship match which garnered the duo a berth into the ITA Cup as part of a season in which they went 21-12 and finished as the No. 45 ranked doubles team in the nation. Rodewald meanwhile teamed with Dari Sakhanova to produce her previously mentioned 23-3 mark.
 
UP NEXT
The ITA Division II Individual Championships mark the end of the fall season for The Rock. SRU returns to for the team portion of 2026-27 in the spring.







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