Warhawks Defeat Titans In WIAC Team Championship Semifinal
UW-Whitewater went unbeaten in three doubles contests and a pair of singles matches to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 5-0, in the semifinal round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Tennis Team Championship (presented by Culver's) held Saturday (April 27) at the Janesville Athletic Club in Janesville.
UW-Whitewater, the four-team tournament's top seed, opened its competition against the fourth-seeded Titans (5-11) with a sweep of the three doubles contests. The Warhawks (10-12) then secured their win with victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles.
The match ended once a winner was determined.
UW-Whitewater then went on to defeat third-seeded UW-Eau Claire, 5-1, to capture its 12th straight WIAC Team Championship title. The victory gave the Warhawks the WIAC's automatic bid to the 49-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins play May 20. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) is the defending national champion.
UW-Eau Claire (15-5) advanced to the tournament final with a 5-1 victory over second-seeded UW-La Crosse (15-5).
WIAC regular-season champion UW-Whitewater jumped to a 3-0 advantage over UW-Oshkosh by winning 24 of 29 games in doubles play, including an 8-0 victory by Gabi Kitchell and Julie Martin over Alyssa Leffler and Michelle Spicer in the first flight.
UW-Whitewater took the No. 2 doubles contest as Olivia Kraft and Sabrina Palavra defeated Samantha Koppa and Hannah Peters, 8-3. The Warhawks won the No. 3 doubles match as Paige Nierman and Molly Rueth ousted Taylor Johnson and Ashlee Polena, 8-2.
UW-Whitewater clinched the win over UW-Oshkosh with individual victories by Kitchell in the first flight and Nierman in the third. Kitchell won 6-2, 6-1, over Leffler while Nierman won 6-1, 6-0, over Peters.
Singles contests involving Koppa in the second flight, Spicer in the fourth, Polena in the fifth and Johnson in the sixth were not played to completion.