WESTERVILLE — The Otterbein women's tennis team won the Battle for the Oar rivalry with a dominant 7-0 victory over Capital after battling through a tough 6-1 loss to No. 26 Denison in a Saturday doubleheader serving as the Cardinals' 2025 home opener.

The Basics: 

• Records: Otterbein (10-3 overall, 1-0 OAC), Denison (8-3 overall), Capital (6-4 overall, 0-1 OAC)
• Venue: Sanders Tennis Center - Westerville, Ohio
• Saturday's match served as the Battle for the Oar between Otterbein and Capital. The Cardinals held the Oar entering the competition and retained it.

Match 1 - Denison 6, Otterbein 1

Singles

• #1: Graduate student Erin Storrer won 6-4, 6-0 over Charlotte Johns.
• #2: Senior Lillia Walter fell 4-6, 2-6 to Caitlin VanWinkle.
• #3: Freshman Daniela De Mata fell 5-7, 1-6 to Dasha Chistyakova. 
• #4: Senior Olivia Eckels fell 0-6, 0-6 to Caroline Kittle.
• #5: Sophomore Breanna Ball fell 1-6, 4-6 to Maia Nowicki.
• #6: Sophomore Taryn Simmers fell 2-6, 2-6 to Elizabeth Hoo.

Doubles

• #1: Storrer and Eckels fell 1-6 over Chistyakova and Nowicki.
• #2: Walter and De Mata fell 4-6 to Johns and VanWinkle.
• #3: Senior Aubrey McMahon and Ball fell 3-6 to Anna Leach and Kittle.

Match 2 - Otterbein 7, Capital 0

Singles

• #1: Storrer won 6-0, 6-0 over Anna Fletcher.
• #2: Walter won 6-0, 6-1 over Nicole Flock.
• #3: Eckels won 6-3, 6-2 over Annika Hansen.
• #4: Senior Cassady Shough won 6-0, 6-1 over Kylee Fliter.
• #5: McMahon won 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 over Jenny Rollins.
• #6: Freshman Niya Bell won by default over Ashlyn Edwards.

Doubles

• #1: Storrer and Walter won 6-0 over Flock and Fletcher
• #2: Eckels and McMahon fell 3-6 to Hansen and Fliter.
• #3: Sophomore Caitlin Pennington and Bell won by default over Edwards and Rollins.

Notables

• Ninth-year head coach Tyler Stephen is 121-33 during his tenure leading the women's tennis team at Otterbein.
• Walter leads the team in overall wins on the season with a 25-14 overall record (10-9 in singles and 15-5 in doubles). Storrer is 21-8 overall (9-4 in singles, 12-4 in doubles).
• Storrer is 148-66 in her Otterbein career (70-32 in singles, 78-34 in doubles).
• Walter is 136-66 in her Otterbein career (62-34 in singles, 74-32 in doubles).
• Eckels is 79-64 in her Otterbein career (37-30 in singles, 42-34 in doubles).
• Otterbein is 18-0 against Capital dating back to 2010.