Box Score John Carroll returns five singles starters and all three doubles teams that helped win an Ohio Athletic Conference title last spring, but that does not mean defending that crown will be a foregone conclusion.

On Friday afternoon at the Paramount Tennis Club in Medina, Ohio, the Blue Streaks were reminded of how they will get everyone's best shot, even out of conference, as the 2017-18 season progresses. Visiting Kalamazoo College gave JCU all it could handle in a 5-4 victory by the Blue Streaks.

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The Hornets had beaten John Carroll's league and conference rival Baldwin Wallace, 9-0, last weekend and are coming off a third place finish in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association -- the ninth consecutive year that Kalamazoo has finished among the top three teams in their league.

In other words, not an opponent to take lightly.

JCU prevailed in two of the three doubles matches. Lauren O'Malley and Madisyn Rini pushed through an 8-5 decision in the #1 match, while Jennifer Stroyne and Carlye Campagna had an easier time in the #3 match with an 8-3 win. The #2 match was a close affair, as Alex Oswalt and Lisa Johnston outlasted Nicolette Bourlas and Natalie Bourlas, 9-7.

O'Malley at #1, Nicolette Bourlas at #3 and Skye Harwood at #6 were the singles winners for JCU, all prevailing in straight sets. Both Rini at #2 and Alyssa Krupp at #4 singles were pushed to a tiebreaker before dropping their respective matches.

With the win, John Carroll is now 3-0 in dual meets this season, while Kalamazoo falls to 1-1.