The NCC women’s tennis team is heating up with several matches ending in a sweep of their opponents. This recent success is coming off of their third consecutive CCIW Championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.
The key returners
Abigail Penados, ’26, and Natalie Bassett, ’25, earned All-CCIW honors last season. Penados boasted a perfect 15-0 career record in CCIW play, while Bassett posted a remarkable 22-4 singles record. Together, they posted a 12-3 record in doubles competition.
Returning starters, Kensington Payne, ’26, Mikayla Edquiban, ’24, Nina Patience, ’24, Kayla McSweeney, ’25, and Anastasia Bozovic, ’26, all remain in the lineup after contributing to a CCIW championship last year. Head Coach Ryan Jump cited the experienced returners as a reason for his confidence entering the new season.
Alongside the returners, four freshmen join the program this year, and Jump expects them to make an immediate presence, as soon as they adjust to a new program. Edquiban has an optimistic outlook on the integration of the newcomers into the team.
“Our bond with the freshmen on the team has been stronger than it has been before. The freshmen this year are a much more sociable bunch, and we all get along pretty well. I try my best to be a mentor to them as an upperclassman and team captain of the team. I am there if they need help and I remind them of team things, so they don’t forget because college tennis is a new environment that they are just starting,” said Edquiban.
A strong start in the chase for number four
The Cardinals opened the season hosting the North Central Invite in Lisle on Aug. 26, beating Lake Forest College 7-2 and sweeping both Loras College and Illinois Institute of Technology 9-0.
9-0 matches became the norm after the invite. The streak continued with a 9-0 sweep of Carroll University on Sept. 2 to start their CCIW season, before a sweep of every opponent to date, 9-0. Concordia University Chicago and two more CCIW opponents, Carthage College and Illinois Wesleyan University, all fell to the Cardinals.
North Central’s strong start has earned Edquiban the first CCIW Player of the Week award of the season and Penados the Co-Player of the Week the following week.
The Cardinals return to action at the ITA Regionals on Sept. 22, hosted by Washington University in St. Louis.
