MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – Highlighted by five runner-up finishes, the UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team finished in third place out of seven teams following two days of competition at the 2013 WIAC Championship at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
The Blugolds claimed third with 49 points while UW-Whitewater won its seventh straight WIAC title, accumulating 58 points. UW-La Crosse took second with 51 points and UW-Oshkosh took fourth with 34 points. Whitewater, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Oshkosh advance to team tournament in spring to determine the WIAC's automatic qualifier for 2014 NCAA Division III Championship.
Finishing in second place at No. 1 doubles were Katie Gillman (Sr.-Red Wing, Minn.) and Maddie Johnson (Jr.-Lakeville, Minn./South). The pair won their first and second round matches but then fell to UW-La Crosse 8-5 in the championship match. Gillman and Johnson finished with a 14-4 record for the fall season.
In singles play, Gillman won two No. 1 matches to start and then fell 6-0, 6-3 to Whitewater's Alexandra Bayliss in the championship match. She finished the fall season with a 13-3 overall record.
At No. 2 singles, Johnson advanced to the championship but then narrowly fell 7-5, 6-4 to La Crosse's Abby Tresedder in the championship match to finish in second place. She finished fall with a 7-7 singles record.
Madison Rossebo (Jr.-Minnetonka, Minn.) took second at No. 5 singles after falling to Whitewater's Amy Upthagrove 6-3, 6-2. She finished fall with a 12-4 singles record.
Coming in second at No. 6 singles was Paige Kuepers (So.-Green Bay, Wis./Southwest). While she breezed through the first round, the second round was tight but she came out on top. Kuepers then lost 6-2, 7-5 to Whitewater's Jessica Vitale in the championship match to finish fall with a 9-3 record.
The Blugolds also had three third place finishes and one fourth place finish.
Finishing third were Colleen McCullough (So.-Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) at No. 4 singles, Mary Frassetto (Sr.-Oshkosh, Wis./West) and Rossebo at No. 2 doubles, and Kuepers and McCullough at No. 3 doubles. Frassetto took fourth at No. 3 singles.
At the conclusion of the championship, Gillman was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
This was the final competition for the Blugolds this fall. They will be back in action next spring.
-KM-
