For the entire season, when John Carroll held a lead after doubles, it was lights out. The Blue Streaks were a perfect 14-0 in matches where they had gained the advantage in doubles.

In fact, JCU had won 44 consecutive dual meets dating back to a 5-4 loss to Minnesota State-Moorhead on March 9, 2017, to find the last time the Blue Streaks had led the match entering singles play and lost.

When John Carroll went up 2-1 on Wheaton Thursday morning in an NCAA Championship first round match at the Vandenberg Courts on the Kenyon College campus, especially after a dramatic win at #2 doubles by Megan Reese and Skye Harwood, the Blue Streaks seemingly had the Thunder on the ropes.

But Wheaton proved to be undeterred, as the champions of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) proved their mettle and won four singles matches in straight sets to stun the Blue Streaks, 5-3.

Lauren O'Malley and Madisyn Rini put the first point on the board, defeating Claire Browning and Claire, 8-4, at #1 doubles. Reese and Harwood then came back from a 6-4 deficit to win, 8-7 (7-5) in the #2 match against Sara Magnuson and Nicole  Freeman. JCU came close to sweeping, but Wheaton's #3 duo of Emma Westwick and Bethany Hoogerheide pulled out an 8-6 win over Alyssa Krupp and Carlye Campagna.

Once singles play began, Wheaton gained an immediate advantage. Only O'Malley in the #1 singles match won her first set while the other five fell, including Reese in a tiebreak, 7-5.

One by one, the Thunder began planting points on the board. First Magnuson won at #2 singles to tie the match at 2-2. O'Malley gave JCU a 3-2 lead with her 6-2 6-2 win over Westrick, but Wheaton would then close out matches in straight sets at #4 and #6 singles to stand within one point of victory.

While Reese was building a second set lead at #3 singles, Campagna had surged out to a 4-3 lead in her #5 singles match. But her opponent Freeman, who had suffered a tough double loss, flipped the script and won the final three games to finish the match and deliver the Thunder a first round win.

Wheaton improves to 17-5 on the year while John Carroll's season ends at 15-6. The Blue Streaks are now 1-4 all-time in NCAA play.

O'Malley will continue her season in the singles competition at the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships to be held May 24-26 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.