INDIVIDUALS, DOUBLES TEAMS PLAY FOR WIAA GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE MEET:  The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Individual Tennis Championships will be held Thursday through Saturday, Oct.  15-17. The meet takes place at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Action will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday and at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $6 for adults and students.

THE SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Oct. 15
2 p.m.        First Round Matches

Friday, Oct. 16
8:30 a.m.    Action Through Quarterfinals

Saturday, Oct. 17
8:30 a.m.    Consolation Semifinals
9 a.m. Championship Semifinals
10 a.m. Fifth-place Matches
11 a.m. Third-place Matches
11:30 a.m.    Championship Matches

LAST YEAR:  In singles play, top-seeded freshman Aly Coran of Homestead won the Division 1 singles title by defeating Katy Allen of Waukesha South 6-4, 6-1 in the championship match. Caroline Starck of Big Foot/Williams Bay won the Division 2 singles title for the third straight year. She defeated Beth Ganser of Jefferson for the second consecutive year in the championship match 6-0, 6-1. In doubles play, Lauren Gryniewicz and Scarlett Hoy of Divine Savior Holy Angels earned the Division 1 championship by defeating Jennifer Smith and Brittany Watchmaker of Homestead in the championship match 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3. The top-seeded duo of Elissa Halla and Natalie Foster of Roncalli won the Division 2 doubles title by defeating #2-seed Mary Catherine Faller and Katie Pott of Notre Dame 6-3, 7-5.

DIVISION 1 SINGLES NOTES:  After becoming the first  freshman to earn the top seed since 1995, Aly Coran of Homestead won the State championship in 2008. She has yet to lose a match in her prep career and is again the top seed with a 32-0 record entering the State Tournament. Senior Rachel Margolies of Madison West is seeded #2 after finishing fourth last year and posting a 25-3 this season. Senior Jennifer Winston of Nicolet is seeded third for the second straight year. She finished third in the tourney a year ago and comes into the tournament with a 22-7 mark. Sophomore Maddie Johnson of Onalaska qualified as a freshman last year and won two matches at State before being ousted from title contention. That experience and her 26-2 record this year earned her the fourth seed. Junior Katy Allen of Waukesha South finished runner-up last year and is seeded fifth. She has compiled a 25-2 record entering State competition. Junior Rachel Allen of Green Bay Southwest advanced to the quarterfinals last season and has tallied a 26-5 record this season to receive the sixth seed. Other leading contenders for the title include sophomore Karyn Guttormsen of Kenosha Bradford, who is seeded seventh with a 27-1 record; eighth-seeded Sophie Lillie, a junior  from Whitefish Bay, who finished fifth last year and has a 19-8 mark this season; and Carly Peck of Homestead, who is one of four undefeated competitors in the field. Coran, freshman Sophia LoCoCo of Homestead and senior Olivia Hartwick of Fort Atkinson are the others.

DIVISION 1 DOUBLES NOTES:  Senior Brittany Watchmaker of Homestead is one-half the duo that finished runner-up last year. She joins forces with junior Corey Mattson to form the top seeded doubles team this year with their 21-1 record. Junior Tara Robey and sophomore Sarah Woods of Divine Savior Holy Angels is seeded second. They enter the tournament with a 24-1 record after finishing fifth last year. Senior Kayla Chessman and sophomore Grace Davis of Neenah won a match at State last season and are the #3 seed with a 25-2 record this year. Senior Kristin Swenson and junior Dani Merar of Homestead have yet to lose this season with a 22-0 mark. They received the fourth seed, while senior Emily Heideman and junior Alleigh Fralick of Rhinelander are seeded fifth after winning two matches at State a year ago and compiling a 14-1 mark this year. Senior Katelyn Kotek and sophomore Sophie Carr of Brookfield East are seeded #6 with a 21-5 record, and junior Genevieve O’Meara and freshman Maddy Henderson of Divine Savior Holy Angels were awarded the seventh seed with a 23-3 record. The eighth seed is the senior duo of Kelsey Jeletz and Ellie Faustich of Cedarburg with a record of 13-7.

DIVISION 2 SINGLES NOTES:  A pair of freshmen have received the top two seeds in the bracket. Shannon Etten of Xavier was awarded the top seed with a 25-1 record, and Maddy Ecker of University School is the second seed with her 22-4 mark. Junior Amanda Dick of Kenosha St. Joseph is the top returning player from last year’s meet, having placed fourth a year ago. She is seeded third with a record of 22-4 this season. Senior Saira Khanna of University School is the fourth seed with her 14-2 record. She qualified last year and was defeated in the first round. Junior Maria Koval of Notre Dame returns to the tournament after placing sixth last year. She has a 13-6 record this season. In addition, junior Caroline McGuire of Dominican and senior Julie Kolnik of Big Foot/Williams Bay returns to the State meet after qualifying last year and winning one match before being eliminated from title contention.

DIVISION 2 DOUBLES NOTES: Seniors Elissa Halla and Natalie Foster of Roncalli are the returning champions and enter the State Tournament as the #1 seed after compiling a 24-1 record this season. Senior Mary Catherine Faller of Notre Dame was one-half the combination that finished runner-up in 2008. Faller is matched with senior Karie Williams to comprise the #2 seed. They have compiled a 26-2 mark record this season. The third seed was issued to juniors Leah Powley and Andrea Jumes of Xavier with a 14-2 record. Jumes qualified last year with a different partner and won a first-round contest. Sophomores Becca Buchanan and Riley Kelly of University is seeded fourth. They have accumulated an 8-1 record in limited action this season. Other contending duos for the doubles title finished fifth and sixth last year.  Junior Lauren Tubbs and senior Beth Pyan of Newman Catholic placed fifth last year and enters the tournament with a 25-3 record, and their teammates, juniors Megan Connolly and Erica Hartke, placed sixth in 2008 and have a 28-2 record this season. The only undefeated tandem in the bracket is juniors Katie Pott and Christina Schaupp of Notre Dame at 19-0. Pott is the other half of the Tritons duo that placed runner-up last season.

NEED THE BRACKETS?:  Brackets and qualifiers are available on the WIAA Web site: www.wiaawi.org. Locate the girls tennis homepage and the State Meet or results option for the respective information.