Related Links:
Box Score
NCAA Whitewater Regional
The No. 36 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's tennis team wrapped up its 14th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament Friday with a 5-3 loss against No. 35 Grinnell (Iowa) in the second round at the Whitewater Regional at the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex.
The Warhawks (20-5 overall) claimed their 15th consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in the fall and punched their ticket to the national tournament by winning the WIAC Team Tournament on April 30.
UW-W clinched its first 20-win season since the 2016-17 season Thursday with a 5-0 triumph against Illinois Tech to set up Friday's second round showdown against Grinnell (21-6), the third dual between the two teams in 2021-22.
The Warhawks dropped their first two doubles matches before cutting their deficit to 2-1 thanks to an 8-4 victory at the No. 2 position by
Molly Rueth (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) and
Kellie Ha (Palatine, Ill./Fremd).
Grinnell scored the first singles point before UW-W tied the dual at 3-3.
Gianna Nikoleit (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) posted a 6-3, 6-1 triumph at the third position and was followed by
Cassie Lee (Downers Grove, Ill./Timothy Christian), who registered a 6-2, 6-3 win at the second position.
The Pioneers claimed the final two decisions to end the dual and advance to Saturday's regional final, where they'll face No. 1 ranked Chicago.
