Related Links:
NCAA Whitewater Regional Web Page
NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Web Page
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's tennis team will make its 13th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship this week as it hosts Concordia Wisconsin in a first-round matchup this Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Wangerin Courts.
Our preview of the tournament is presented by UW Credit Union.
The Warhawks are hosting an NCAA Regional, which includes the first three rounds of the national tournament, for the fifth consecutive year.
UW-Whitewater enters the weekend on an 11-match winning streak, including a 5-1 triumph against UW-La Crosse in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship final. UW-W claimed its 14th straight conference title to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team is ranked seventh in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings.
Seniors
Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson) and
Sabrina Palavra (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) lead the Warhawks into the tournament. Nierman is 9-3 in singles play, including a 6-3 mark at the No. 2 position, and is 8-4 in doubles. Palavra is also 9-3 in singles with a 6-3 record at No. 4, and is 7-5 in doubles.
Both Nierman and Palavra have won nine consecutive singles contests entering the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman
Kasey Schlicht (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) plays in the first singles position for UW-Whitewater. She is 6-6 this season in singles and 9-6 in doubles, including a 6-3 mark playing with Palavra as her partner at the No. 1 slot.
Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) is also 6-6 in singles play, including a 4-4 record at No. 3. She and Nierman are 7-2 playing together in 2021, including 6-2 at the second position. Kraft is tied for the team lead with 10 doubles victories.
Molly Rueth (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) and
Jessica Minkov (Schiller Park, Ill./East Leyden) round out the Warhawks' singles lineup. Rueth owns a 9-4 record playing primarily at the No. 5 position, while Minkov is 6-2 playing at the sixth position and 9-2 overall.
Rueth and
Courtney Day (Oshkosh, Wis./North) are 8-2 playing together this spring, including a 6-2 record at No. 3 doubles.
Concordia Wisconsin is the automatic qualifier out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Falcons (12-5) bested Edgewood 5-4 in the NACC championship match.
The winner of Friday's match will advance to the second round to face St. Thomas (Minn.) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
The regional final is slated for Sunday at 12 p.m.
