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Bracket Results
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's tennis team finished in first place out of eight teams as it hosted the 50th annual Warhawk Invitational at the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex and Whitewater High School.
The Warhawks won three of the six draws to total 47 team points, edging runner-up Grinnell (Iowa) by four points.
Cassie Lee (Downers Grove, Ill./Timothy Christian) took the No. 2 singles draw with three consecutive straight-set victories. She defeated Carthage's Sierra Sonnemaker, UW-Eau Claire's Samantha Fuchs and UW-La Crosse's Natasha Bailey on her way to the title.
Gianna Nikoleit (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) also earned three straight-set wins to finish first in the No. 3 singles bracket. She bested Avery Nicholson of UW-La Crosse, Utsah Karla of Grinnell and Sydney Marin of Grinnell on the day.
At No. 1 doubles,
Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) and
Kellie Ha (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) downed Illinois Wesleyan and Grinnell to reach the first-place match, where the duo topped UW-Eau Claire 8-7 (5). Kraft and Ha are now 4-0 playing together for the season.
Molly Rueth (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) and
Courtney Day (Oshkosh, Wis./North) finished as the runner-up duo in the second draw, and
Bryce Bigelow (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) and
Madalyn Bigelow (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) placed second in the third draw.
Autumn Bruno (Milwaukee, Wis./Greenfield Whitnall) placed third at No. 1 singles, posting a 2-1 record. Her lone loss came in the semifinal in a third-set super tiebreaker.
Other competitors included
Bethany Marshall (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove), who won the consolation final to place fifth at No. 2 singles, and
Zenia Barretto (Dubai, United Arab Emirates/Gems Wellington International School) and
Sarah Ferguson (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek), who combined for a fourth-place finish at No. 3 doubles.
UW-Whitewater returns to action next Sunday, Sept. 12, against Lake Forest (Ill.) and UW-River Falls. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. against Lake Forest and 2 p.m. against UW-River Falls.
