The men’s and women’s tennis team’s are coming off of two of the most important weeks in school history.
The women, ranked No. 18, finished the Midwest Invitational 2-1 and beat two nationally ranked opponents, Gustavus Adolphus College and Denison University.
Both victories were the first wins against either school in UW-Whitewater history.
The men’s big match was against the perennial powerhouse Gustavus Adolphus College as well. The ’Hawks were able to win a close match in a 5-4 decision, which is the first time in over 20 years UW-Whitewater was able to win.
Senior Brady Porter said it was one of the biggest wins in program history.
“They have always been a nationally ranked team that contends for the national championship,” Porter said. “That was probably the biggest win in Warhawk tennis history.”
Head coach Frank Barnes also had some praise for not only the win, but the two teams as well.
“This is the best men’s and women’s team I have ever had,” Barnes said. “Gustavus Adolphus is a huge power house, they have beaten some very good teams, and the fact that we are able to compete with those kinds of teams is a good sign.”
Both teams continued their success by dominating Carroll University and Elmhurst College last Sunday, which also was Senior Day. The seniors honored were Brady Porter, Erik Scanlan, Marta Kinsman, Kalla Schaefer, Annie Smith and Crystal Zhao.
Looking forward, the men’s next matches are in the WIAC Final Four, which is against UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire.
The men have only lost one match in this event over the past seven seasons. Being the odds-on favorite to win, Barnes knows his players must keep their focus with the targets on their back heading into conference play.
“It doesn’t matter what the rankings are, the Final Four is always going to be close,” Barnes said. “We need to make sure we are not cocky and not to over look anybody.”
With big wins the past two weekends, Barnes and his players feel that they can beat anybody. If the men play well in the WIAC final four, they have a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
