The UW-Whitewater women’s tennis team won two dual matches in their conference season opener to extend their conference win streak in dual matches to 83.

The Warhawks (4-0) defeated the UW-La Crosse Eagles in their first match of the weekend. Then, they defeated UW-Eau Claire in the second match on Sept. 16.

The first match against the Eagles (4-1) put the Warhawks’ 83 game conference win streak in real jeopardy as the they narrowly won the match 5-4. The match was initially delayed because of rain, but then it was later started inside a field house at UW-LC.

The Eagles won two of the three doubles matches started inside the field house, but the Warhawks rallied in singles play.

Despite losing the number one and number two spot in singles play the Warhawks won the final four matches. Freshman Sabrina Palavra won her singles match 6-3,6-1 to seal the Warhawks’ victory over the Eagles. Palavra didn’t know the magnitude of her match as it was going on.

Head Coach Frank Barnes made sure the Warhawks’ didn’t put too much pressure on their freshman when she was playing for the entire game.

“I said to the team ‘let’s not get any closer cause she’ll figure out it’s all on the line.’ So we stayed three courts away so she could stay in the groove.” Barnes said. “We didn’t want to put too much pressure on a freshman in her first big conference singles match.”

In the second match of the day the Warhawks defeated UW-EC 8-1. UW-W lost one doubles match and swept the Blugolds in singles play.

Seniors Jillian Wallace, Brigid McGuire, freshman Paige Nierman won both of their singles matches on the day to power the Warhawks’ sweep of their WIAC conference foes.

The Warhawks had played both the Blugolds and the Eagles less than two weeks earlier at the Warhawk Invite.

“First time we saw them two weeks ago we saw they were really strong.” Coach Barnes said. “I think it helped us take the match more seriously going in.”        

UW-EC stepped up their game over the past two weeks.

The Warhawks number one doubles pairing of Brigid McGuire and Jillian Wallace struggled in their matches over the weekend. McGuire and Wallace lost both of their matches against UW-EC and UW-LC despite winning the entire Warhawk Invite doubles tournament just two weeks earlier.

The UW-W women’s tennis team will return to action on Sept. 22 to partake in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional Championships at Gustavus Adolphus University in St. Peter, Minnesota.​