Tennis team returns with two wins
Blugolds to host Stout on Friday
McLean Bennett
Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: Sports
Posted: 09/27/09
The UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team squeaked by one conference opponent Friday before blowing past another Saturday to go 2-0 on the weekend.
The road wins bring the Blugolds' season record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
The Blugolds won 5-4 Friday at UW-Stevens Point, thanks mostly to a 3-0 showing early on in doubles action.
"Our doubles matches were really critical," senior Brenna McCormick said. The three doubles victories were crucial in Friday's victory for the Blugolds, who won just two-of-six matches in singles play at Stevens Point.
Senior Gina Dahl paired up with senior Courtney Lynne at the No.1 doubles spot to take an 8-6 win, and McCormick and senior Erin Welch teamed up at No. 2 for an 8-5 win. Freshman Taylor Heltne and sophomore Emily Hiebl won their No. 3 doubles match 9-7.
Dahl said rain Friday forced the teams to move into Stevens Point's fieldhouse. Dahl said that may have given Stevens Point players an advantage because they were more familiar with the indoor courts' surfaces.
In singles play, No. 1 Dahl lost 6-2, 6-3, and No. 2 McCormick won her first set 6-2 but dropped the next two, 6-2, 1-0 (10-8).
Welch lost at the No. 4 position in three sets, and No. 5 Heltne lost in two.
Sophomore Megan Born and junior Michelle Reinders, playing the No. 3 and No. 6 singles spots respectively, were the only Blugolds to win their singles matches. Each did so in two sets.
The Blugolds went 3-0 in doubles and 6-0 in singles play a day later at UW-Oshkosh to take a sweeping 9-0 victory.
"I think after having such a close match on Friday evening, we came really strong and focused and we had to take care of business," Dahl said.
No. 1 doubles duo Dahl and Lynne won 9-7, and McCormick and Welch took an 8-6 win at No. 2. Heltne and Born teamed up at No. 3 for a lopsided 8-1 victory.
Freshman Jillian Horner replaced Heltne at the No. 5 singles spot, while Heltne bumped Reinders for the No. 6 spot. Otherwise, Saturday's singles lineup remained unchanged from Friday, with all but one player racking up two-set victories over their Oshkosh opponents.
Eau Claire will launch a five-match stretch at home Friday, when the team will host UW-Stout at 3:30 p.m. Eight Days later, the team will host UW-Whitewater and Edgewood College on the same day before playing UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse at home later on in October.
McCormick said waiting until later in the season to play against Whitewater and La Crosse - opponents she described as particularly tough - will be good for the Blugolds.
"We have a bit of our tougher competition later on in the season, so it's kind of nice to keep working up until that point," McCormick said. "Last year we lost to La Crosse and Whitewater, usually they're our goal to work towards."
The UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team squeaked by one conference opponent Friday before blowing past another Saturday to go 2-0 on the weekend.
The road wins bring the Blugolds' season record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
The Blugolds won 5-4 Friday at UW-Stevens Point, thanks mostly to a 3-0 showing early on in doubles action.
"Our doubles matches were really critical," senior Brenna McCormick said. The three doubles victories were crucial in Friday's victory for the Blugolds, who won just two-of-six matches in singles play at Stevens Point.
Senior Gina Dahl paired up with senior Courtney Lynne at the No.1 doubles spot to take an 8-6 win, and McCormick and senior Erin Welch teamed up at No. 2 for an 8-5 win. Freshman Taylor Heltne and sophomore Emily Hiebl won their No. 3 doubles match 9-7.
Dahl said rain Friday forced the teams to move into Stevens Point's fieldhouse. Dahl said that may have given Stevens Point players an advantage because they were more familiar with the indoor courts' surfaces.
In singles play, No. 1 Dahl lost 6-2, 6-3, and No. 2 McCormick won her first set 6-2 but dropped the next two, 6-2, 1-0 (10-8).
Welch lost at the No. 4 position in three sets, and No. 5 Heltne lost in two.
Sophomore Megan Born and junior Michelle Reinders, playing the No. 3 and No. 6 singles spots respectively, were the only Blugolds to win their singles matches. Each did so in two sets.
The Blugolds went 3-0 in doubles and 6-0 in singles play a day later at UW-Oshkosh to take a sweeping 9-0 victory.
"I think after having such a close match on Friday evening, we came really strong and focused and we had to take care of business," Dahl said.
No. 1 doubles duo Dahl and Lynne won 9-7, and McCormick and Welch took an 8-6 win at No. 2. Heltne and Born teamed up at No. 3 for a lopsided 8-1 victory.
Freshman Jillian Horner replaced Heltne at the No. 5 singles spot, while Heltne bumped Reinders for the No. 6 spot. Otherwise, Saturday's singles lineup remained unchanged from Friday, with all but one player racking up two-set victories over their Oshkosh opponents.
Eau Claire will launch a five-match stretch at home Friday, when the team will host UW-Stout at 3:30 p.m. Eight Days later, the team will host UW-Whitewater and Edgewood College on the same day before playing UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse at home later on in October.
McCormick said waiting until later in the season to play against Whitewater and La Crosse - opponents she described as particularly tough - will be good for the Blugolds.
"We have a bit of our tougher competition later on in the season, so it's kind of nice to keep working up until that point," McCormick said. "Last year we lost to La Crosse and Whitewater, usually they're our goal to work towards."
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