It has been an extended hiatus for John Carroll to sit atop the Ohio Athletic Conference in women's tennis. As a program which enjoyed unmatched success between 1991 and 2006 when it won eight of a possible 16 league titles, a ten-year break between winning championships is by far its longest dry spell.

The Blue Streaks would like to add a tournament title to its regular season crown, and as the #1 seed which won 67 of a possible 70 matches in league play this year, appear poised to do so when the 2016 OAC Tournament gets underway this week. 

Championship Website (hosted by Ohio Northern University)

The Blue Streaks completed an undefeated run through the OAC regular season schedule for the first time since 2000 when Toby Perry guided the Blue Streaks to a 14-2 record overall and an 8-0 mark in league action. That team would go on to win the tournament championship also.

By winning all eight league matches this season, John Carroll has earned the #1 seed in the tournament, and will host #8 seed Muskingum on Tuesday, May 4, in a quarterfinal round match to be held at Ursuline College starting at 5:00 p.m.

The OAC Tournament semifinals and championship will be held Friday and Saturday, May 6-7, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. The women's semifinal matches will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, with the semifinal winners advancing to play in the OAC Championship on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. The tournament champion receives the Ohio Athletic Conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship.

The Blue Streaks are 13-3 overall this season and 8-0 in the OAC, and bring a nine-match winning streak into the OAC Tournament. The team has one senior (Catherine Engel) and two juniors (Katherine Devine and Ivana Didovic) with the rest of the roster consisting of sophomores and freshmen.

John Carroll has won the OAC crown eight times -- 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2006. None of the previous eight titles carries with it an automatic invitation into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Blue Streaks are seeking a first bid into the national championship field.