Titans To Play Blugolds In WIAC Championship Opener

Seventh-seeded UW-Oshkosh challenges second-seeded UW-Eau Claire in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championship (presented by Culver's) on Saturday (April 24) in Whitewater.

Competition in the eight-team tournament begins at 12 p.m. with three first-round contests. In addition to the battle between UW-Oshkosh (0-7) and UW-Eau Claire (9-4), third-seeded UW-La Crosse (8-4) plays sixth-seeded UW-Stout (1-5) and fourth-seeded UW-Stevens Point (7-3) meets fifth-seeded UW-River Falls (2-7).

The 49th edition of the championship continues Saturday with the semifinals at 4 p.m. The victor between UW-Stevens Point and UW-River Falls plays top-seeded and 13-time defending conference champion UW-Whitewater (10-5) in one semifinal while the winners between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout meet in the other.

A consolation match involving the losers between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout will also be held at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Semifinal round winners will battle Sunday (April 25) at 10:30 a.m. in the championship contest. The winner of the WIAC Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship that begins play in May.

All matches during this year's WIAC Championship will be held at UW-Whitewater's Wangerin Courts or Whitewater High School. First-round contests will be played to completion (nine team points) while the remaining matches will be played to a decision (five team points).

UW-Whitewater earned the WIAC Championship's top seed by going unbeaten in its six league dual matches. UW-Eau Claire followed with a 5-1 record while UW-La Crosse trailed at 4-2, UW-Stevens Point at 3-3, UW-River Falls at 2-4, UW-Stout at 1-5 and UW-Oshkosh at 0-6.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire will play its first-round match Saturday at UW-Whitewater's Wangerin Courts. The contest marks the second between the teams in four days, as the Blugolds defeated the Titans by a 9-0 score on Wednesday (April 21) in Eau Claire.

UW-Oshkosh's singles lineup against UW-Eau Claire is expected to be Michelle Spicer in the first flight, Maddie Toboyek in the second, Courtney Salisbury in the third, Hannah Stitt in the fourth, Madeline Beck in the fifth and Angie Carini in the sixth.

The Titans' tentative doubles lineup features Spicer and Toboyek in the first flight, Carini and Salisbury in the second and Beck and Stitt in the third.