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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's tennis team concluded the first day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship (presented by Culver's) at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison in good position to contend for a 13th straight conference championship.
 
The Warhawks reached the final in two of three doubles flights and will compete for third in the other, and are onto the second round in all six singles draws.
 
Sophomore Molly Rueth (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) and freshman Megan Setter (Kenosha, Wis./St. Joseph Catholic Academy), the top seed at No. 2 doubles, earned a first-round bye and posted an 8-6 triumph over UW-Oshkosh in the second round to reach the championship match, where they'll take on UW-Eau Claire.
 
At No. 3, sophomore Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) and freshman Courtney Day (Oshkosh, Wis./North) will face UW-Eau Claire in Sunday's title match after recording an 8-2 victory over UW-River Falls in the second round.
 
Juniors Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson) and Sabrina Palavra (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) were knocked off at No. 1 doubles by an 8-6 score against UW-Oshkosh in the second round, and will face UW-La Crosse for third place Sunday.
 
Nierman was the lone Warhawk to play a singles match Saturday, defeating UW-Stevens Point 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the second round in the No. 1 flight, where she'll face No. 2 seed Kimberly Steinert of UW-La Crosse.
 
Kraft, Palavra, sophomore Jessica Minkov (Schiller Park, Ill./East Leyden), senior Madeline Slicker (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) and sophomore Elsie Ha (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) all earned byes to Sunday's second round by virtue of being the top seeds at the Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and six draws, respectively.
 
Competition resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. with the final two rounds of singles, followed by the last round of doubles.