Jade and Jackie Kawamoto entered their senior tennis season at the University of Dayton with a combined 91 singles victories.
As a doubles tandem, they had four.
The Flyers have made sure what’s old is new again as the former Greenwood players, who played doubles as freshmen, have again been paired together for their final season of collegiate competition.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryNot surprisingly, the Kawamotos are 12-2.
“It’s really special,” said Jade, the older of the twins by 49 seconds. “We have this bond on the court and we trust each other’s games so much.”
Both still play singles for Dayton as well. Jade holds a 14-5 record at No. 3 singles this season, while Jackie is 8-6 at the fourth spot. They are, in the eyes of Flyers coach Erica Echko, two of the most successful players in program history.
As was the case when the Kawamotos played at Greenwood, they’ve accomplished it with no self-promotion whatsoever.
Both are quiet, especially Jade. She presently sits fifth in career singles victories at Dayton with 60 and can add to the total when the Flyers return to the courts April 6 to host Eastern Michigan.
At 5-foot-3, neither sister is able to physically overwhelm an opponent. They make up for it with various other factors.
“We played Xavier recently and their coach is a friend of mine,” Echko said. “After the match, he said he had told his team, ‘You’ve got to watch out for the twins. They don’t say a lot, but you look up at the score and you’ll be losing.’
“What makes them so successful in singles is their ability to change direction, anticipate their opponent’s next shot and out-grind out the other player. In doubles, they move well at the net, go down the line frequently and have incredible lobs.”
Dayton’s commencement exercises are May 6, with the Kawamotos among the graduates. Both excellent students, they look forward to life’s next chapters now that their tennis careers are nearly over.
Jackie majors in psychology and is applying to attend graduate school somewhere in the Midwest. Jade majors in international studies.
It’s an evening both sisters are looking forward to.
“I’m nervous, but it’s exciting too,” Jackie said. “This is like stepping into the real world. I think we’re ready, but it’s a big step. These four years have really flown by for us. We’ve had a lot of fun here.”
The Kawamotos entered the Dayton program with huge tennis reputations from their time at Greenwood.
As a Woodmen junior in 2013, Jackie enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons ever from a girls player in Indiana, assembling a 28-0 record on her way to a state singles championship. The right-hander was taken into a third set only once all season.
A year later it was Jade, a southpaw, making it to the state championship match before losing — the lone blemish in her 26-1 season.
Though not nearly as dominant on the tennis courts as they were in high school, Dayton proved the perfect choice for the Kawamotos to continue their academic and athletic careers.
“It’s been awesome. There are a lot of things we’ll miss,” Jade said. “Just being part of this team, and everyone in the community is really friendly. We’ve learned a lot here and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.”
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Singles records for Jade and Jackie Kawamoto during their tennis careers at the University of Dayton:
<strong>Jade Kawamoto</strong>
<strong>Season;W-L</strong>
2015;14-2
2016;16-4
2017;16-9
2018;14-5
Total;60-30
<strong>Jackie Kawamoto</strong>
<strong>Season;W-L</strong>
2015;18-6
2016;15-4
2017;9-6
2018;8-6
Total;50-22
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