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 (ITA) year-end rankings.
 
Not only did Slippery Rock close 2026 as the No. 24 team in the nation for what was the program's all-time best year-end finish, SRU also placed athletes in both the national singles and doubles 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. 45 pairing in Division II. The final singles rankings saw Amaia Balaguer Brau end the season at No. 60 and Kivi slotted at No. 75.
 
Inside the Atlantic Region, Slippery Rock accounted for four of the top 20 singles athlete with Balaguer Brau leading the way as the top-ranked athlete in the region followed by Kivi (No. 4), Kempton (No. 7) and Dari Sakhanova (No. 17).
 
Similarly, SRU also largely controlled the Atlantic Region doubles rankings one of only two schools with two teams in the top 10. Kivi and Kempton were situated second in the Atlantic Region while Balaguer Brau and Tina Slovak were eighth.
 
Slippery Rock recently concluded another dominant season. The Rock compiled a 16-4 overall record while advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 for a second consecutive season. SRU won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament championship and its 16 wins tied this year's team for the seventh most victories in a single-season in program history.
 
A look at the season highlights for each of The Rock's national and regionally ranked athletes can be found below.

AMAIA BALAGUER BRAU
ITA National Rank: No. 1
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 60
Honors
• PSAC Tournament MVP
• ITA Atlantic Region Senior Player of the Year
• PSAC West Athlete of the Year
• First Team All-PSAC West
 
The 2025-26 season was another dominant campaign for Balaguer Brau, who went 23-7 in single matches, including a 16-4 record in first flight competition which featured a victory over the top-ranked athlete in Division II. Despite spending her freshman season at St. Thomas Aquinas, Balaguer Brau still managed to become the 10th winningest athlete in program history with 124 career wins in three seasons at SRU. In addition to her three PSAC West Athlete of the Year citations, Balaguer Brau also earned six all-conference awards.
 
ALISSIA KIVI
ITA National Rank: No. 4
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 75
Honors
• First Team All-PSAC West
• CSC Academic All-District
 
Kivi put together one of the best all-around singles seasons in program history thanks to a 23-4 overall record that included a 14-3 tally in the second flight of dual matches as well as a perfect 6-0 mark versus PSAC West opponents. Kivi, who won her last seven completed bouts of the year, has won 93 career wins in her first two collegiate seasons.
 
NICOLE KEMPTON / ALISSIA KIVI
ITA National Rank: No. 45
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 2
Honors
• ITA Cup qualifiers
• ITA Atlantic Region Championship Runner-Ups
• First Team All-PSAC West
 
The top team in a Slippery Rock doubles lineup, Kivi and Kempton collected a 21-12 record while facing some of the best competition in Division II. The duo, which went 12-6 in dual matches and a perfect 6-0 versus PSAC West foes, partnered to take runner-up honors at the ITA Atlantic Region Championships in the fall on the way to earning a berth into the ITA Cup prior to the team portion of the year.
 
Kempton and Kivi are the second winningest team in program history with a career record of 47-20. They trail only Kayla Blackburn and Laura Handy (53-14) for the most wins by a SRU doubles team in documented program history.
 
NICOLE KEMPTON
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 7
Honors
• First Team All-PSAC West
• PSAC Champion Scholar
• CSC Academic All-District
 
After earning second team All-PSAC West singles accolades as a freshman and sophomore, Kempton posted a 20-6 record this year on the way to her third straight All-PSAC West honor. Among her 20 wins were 13 third flight victories and a 4-1 record inside the PSAC West. Kempton enters her senior year already ranked 12th in program history in career wins (118).
 
DARI SAKHANOVA
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 17
Honors
• ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship National Award
• CSC Academic All-District
 
Sakhanova capped off a great four-year career at The Rock by compiling a 16-7 overall record as a senior. Playing predominantly out of the fifth flight, Sakhanova was 11-4 in dual matches and 3-1 inside the PSAC West. Off the court, Sakhanova recently became the second athlete in program history to be the recipient of the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship National Award.
 
AMAIA BALAGUER BRAU / TINA SLOVAK
ITA Atlantic Region Rank: No. 8
Honors
• First Team All-PSAC West
 
As was the case for their entire careers as teammates, losses were few and far between this year when Slovak and Balaguer Brau took the court together. The duo raced through the competition en route to going 20-4 overall, 15-3 in dual matches and a perfect 6-0 inside the PSAC West. Only two of their four losses came against fellow Division II competition.
 
Much like Kempton and Kivi, the pairing of Slovak and Balaguer Brau will go down as one of the best in Slippery Rock history. At 38-8 as a team, they trail only their teammates and the aforementioned pairing of Blackburn and Handy for the most doubles wins at The Rock.





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