2008 WIAC Women's Tennis Championship Preview

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Posted: Thursday, October 23, 2008

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - The UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team is ready for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship this Saturday and Sunday at UW-Madison's Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

The team title will be determined by using a combination of the regular season dual meet standings and the conference championship results. The finish in the regular season standings accounts for one-third of the criteria, while the WIAC championship accounts for the remaining two-thirds.

Point distribution following dual meet competition included: UW-Whitewater (6-0) (7 points), UW-La Crosse (5-1) (6 points), UW-Eau Claire (4-2) (5 points), UW-Stevens Point (2-4) (4 points), UW-Oshkosh (2-4) (3 points), UW-River Falls (1-5) (2 points) and UW-Stout (1-5) (1 point).

The first day of competition will consist of the first two rounds of doubles matches followed by the first round of singles matches. The second day of the championship will feature the final two rounds of singles matches followed by the final round of doubles matches.

The top four teams (following the conclusion of the WIAC championship) will advance to a team tournament that will determine the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The team tournament will be held at the site of the overall conference champion the weekend prior to the NCAA championship next spring.

At No. 1 singles, UW-Whitewater freshman Kalla Schaefer owns the top seed. She also won the prestigious Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional and competed in the ITA National Small College Championship. UW-Eau Claire junior Gina Dahl (Fort Atkinson, Wis.) won the No. 2 singles crown a year ago after placing second in 2006.

UW-Stevens Point junior Rachel Benn is seeded second and won the No. 2 singles title in 2006 while attending UW-La Crosse.

UW-Whitewater junior Ingrid Stensvaag has the top spot at No. 2 singles. She finished second at No. 1 singles last season. UW-La Crosse junior Carlie Bohrman is seeded second and won the No. 5 singles crown in 2006.

UW-La Crosse sophomore Katie McDonald is the defending champion at No. 3 singles and is seeded second behind UW-Whitewater freshman Annie Smith. The flight also features UW-Eau Claire junior Brenna McCormick (Greendale, Wis.) who was the No. 6 singles winner in 2006 and took second at No. 4 singles a year ago. UW-Oshkosh freshman Emily Bostwick is seeded third, while UW-Stout senior Jodie Czech placed second at No. 2 singles in 2007.

UW-Whitewater senior Jenny Woyahn will aim to defend her championship at No. 6 singles and enters as the top seed. She placed second at No. 5 singles in 2006. UW-River Falls senior Mindy Rudiger finished second at No. 6 singles in 2005 and is seeded third.

No. 4 singles is led by UW-Whitewater sophomore Amy Siemon, while Warhawk junior Michelle Daciolas is the leader at No. 5 singles. UW-Eau Claire junior Erin Welch (Tomah, Wis.) is seeded second at No. 4 singles and took second at No. 5 singles last season.

In doubles competition, UW-Whitewater's Schaefer and Siemon own the top spot in the No. 1 flight. Siemon was a No. 3 doubles champion a year ago, while UW-Eau Claire's Dahl finished second at No. 1 doubles. Dahl was the champion at No. 3 doubles in 2006.

UW-River Falls senior Kathryne Ostrowski and Rudiger have earned league medals with Ostrowski winning No. 1 doubles last season and Rudiger placing second at No. 2 doubles in 2006.

The No. 2 doubles flight includes UW-Eau Claire's McCormick and Welch. McCormick won the flight in 2006 and placed second last season, while Welch took second at No. 3 doubles a year ago. UW-La Crosse senior Debbie Braun will also participate at No. 2 doubles. She earned the No. 3 doubles title in 2005.

UW-Whitewater senior Brittany Gering is a returning champion at No. 3 doubles after placing second in 2006.

WIAC Championship Web site

- Written by Matt Stanek, Modified by Kevin Meinholz -