The UW-Whitewater women’s tennis team walked away from the Midwest Invitational with a 1-2 record, but the results don’t tell the full story of a weekend defined by close matches and a team growing into its identity.
Held 45 miles away in Madison, Wisconsin, the Warhawks opened the tournament with a 4-3 loss to Grinnell College, rebounded with a dominant 6-1 win over Luther College, and then fell in another 4-3 heartbreaker against Hope College to close out the invite.
While the sixth-place finish out of eight teams may not have been what the Warhawks had hoped for, head coach Frank Barnes saw plenty of positives.
“I thought we did really well—got a couple of 4-3 matches, even though we came up on the wrong end of them,” Barnes said. “Last year, same situation, we got our butts kicked pretty good at this same tournament—so to have our worst result be a 4-3 loss, I think that was pretty good considering the competition.”
One theme that stood out was the importance of the doubles point, a critical piece under the new scoring format where the winner of two out of three doubles matches secures a single team point. In both of Whitewater’s 4-3 losses, the team fell short in doubles.
“We lost the doubles point, so we started off going into singles down 0-1,” Barnes said. “If you flip that doubles point around, those are 4-3 wins.”
Freshman Abby Weaver has been impressive all season long and was one of the bright spots for the Warhawks, going 2-1 in singles play.
“She’s got really good finishing skills,” Barnes said. “It’s giving her an edge in battles where players can go through long points. The difference maker is she’s finishing with volleys and overheads at the net.”
(Parker Olsen)
Weaver credited her consistency and composure for her strong showing.
“I just focused on being consistent—getting the serve in, getting the return in, and playing the point from there,” Weaver said. “Even though we finished in sixth place, it was a really good weekend for us. Getting those tough matches in against the competition we’ll face in the postseason will be really beneficial.”
In the fall season, senior leader and the team’s No. 1, Cassie Lee, went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Junior, Gracie Ha, stepped into the No. 1 singles spot and has impressed, going 2-1 in singles.
“Back in the fall when Cassie tore her ACL, it definitely put a stump in our lineup,” Ha said. “I knew I had to step up as a captain and as a player. Ever since then, I’ve told myself to keep working hard and be a leader in every way possible.”
For Ha, the weekend was a mix of personal milestones and team resilience. One win, in particular, stood out — her singles victory over Grinnell College, Pari Chavan, whom she had lost to in a tie breaker earlier in the fall.
“That win showed me I can keep up with these girls and give it my all,” Ha said. “Even when we were down, I saw everyone fighting and keeping their heads high.”
As the team turns its focus to the final stretch of the season, with a match against the No. 1 ranked team in Division III, The University of Chicago, the Warhawks only have one thing on their minds.
“All that matters is the AQ tournament,” Barnes said. “The focus is just practice hard, play those matches tough, and see where we’re at in three weeks.”
The WIAC Final Four AQ Tournament will take place in Whitewater at the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex, April 26, with the matches beginning at noon.
