THE TOURNAMENT: The 26th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Team Tennis Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. The meet takes place at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Action will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday and will resume Saturday at 9 a.m. Admission is $8 for adults and students.
TEAM TOURNAMENT SEEDING: Seeding of the State Girls Team Tournament in both divisions began in 2017. In Division 1, the eight coaches of the qualifying teams vote to seed all eight teams. In Division 2, the four coaches of qualifying teams vote to seed all four teams in the bracket.
THE DIVISION 1 MATCH-UPS:
Division 1 - Quarterfinals (5:30 p.m. Oct. 25)
Match-1: #1 Homestead (19-2) vs. #8 Ashwaubenon (22-1)
Match-2: #4 Badger (22-1) vs. #5 Brookfield East (15-5)
Match-3: #3 Madison West (22-3) vs. Neenah (15-4)
Match-4: #2 Muskego (20-1) vs. #7 Eau Claire Memorial (22-2)
Division 1 - Semifinals (9 a.m. Oct. 26)
Match-5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match-6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
Division 1 - Championship (2 p.m. Oct. 26)
Match-7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
THE DIVISION 2 MATCH-UPS:
Division 2 - Semifinals (9 a.m. Oct. 26)
Match-1: #1 Kohler (21-2) vs. #4 Luther (23-3)
Match-2: #2 Catholic Memorial (12-7) vs. #3 Regis (18-12)
Division 2 - Championship (2 p.m. Oct. 26)
Match-3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
BY THE NUMBERS: There were 201 teams sponsoring girls tennis this fall with 133 in Division 1 and 68 in Division 2. The State tournament field of teams is determined by team points recorded at the subsectional and sectional levels.
LAST YEAR: Top-seeded Homestead won the Division 1 title for the third straight season with a 4-3 edge over Divine Savior Holy Angels in the championship match. The Highlanders won one of the four singles matches and swept the three doubles matches to secure the victory. In Division 2, top-seeded University School won the team title by defeating Catholic Memorial 5-2 in the championship match. The Wildcats won three of the four singles matches and won at the #2 and #3 doubles flights to account for the margin of victory.
THE HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: In Division 1, Nicolet has won six titles since the advent of the team championship dual format in 1994 and have won a membership-leading 17 titles. Brookfield Central has won nine team championships and three since the beginning of the dual format. Whitefish Bay and University School now possess nine team championships, and Homestead and Whitefish Bay have captured eight titles.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Three-time defending champion and top seed Homestead is making its fourth straight State appearance and its 13th overall. The Highlanders have now won eight team championships with five of them coming consecutively from 2008-12. They also recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2002-03. Second-seeded Muskego is making its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. Third-seeded Madison West qualifies for the tournament for the 13th time and for the third time in the past four seasons. The Regents best outcome in the tournament was a runner-up finish in 1997. Badger is making its second straight appearance and its fourth overall. The Badgers are attempting to advance out of the quarterfinal round for the first time. Brookfield East returns to State for the fifth time in the past six seasons and the seventh time overall. The Spartans’ most notable appearance in the State Tournament was a runner-up finish in 2015. Neenah is making its 17th overall appearance at State and its eighth in a row. The Rockets won the title in 2015. They have also compiled six runner-up finishes, including two before the start of the team tournament in 1983 and 1986, and in the team tournament in 2000, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Seventh-seeded Eau Claire Memorial is making its 10th straight appearance in the State Team Tournament and its 21st overall, which leads all schools in appearances. In addition to a runner-up finish in 2013, the Old Abes have placed second four other times (1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004). Eighth-seed Ashwaubenon is making its initial State Team Tournament appearance.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Kohler appears in the State Team Tournament for the third time and for the first time since their back-to-back appearances in 2015-16. The Blue Bombers were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals in both of those previous experiences. Last year’s runner-up Catholic Memorial, the #2 seed, will make its second appearance in the State Team Tournament after qualifying for the first time in 2018. Regis, the third seed, is making its eighth State appearance, all coming in the last nine years. The Ramblers’ most notable experience was a runner-up finish in 2016. Fourth-seeded Luther will be embarking on its first-ever appearance in the State Team Tournament.
LAST WEEK: Top-seeded Jordan Schifano of Divine Savior Holy Angels won the Division 1 singles title with a 6-2, 4- 6, 7-5 victory over third-seeded Zaya Iderzul of Badger in the championship match. Schifano improved on last season’s fourth-place finish. She improved her record to 34-1 on the season. The second-seeded tandem of Cecile Fuchs and Samantha Fuchs of DeForest capped an undefeated season to win the Division 1 doubles championship with a 39-0 record. They defeated fifth-seeded Elena Deslongchamps and Katie Kavanagh of Whitefish Bay, who placed fifth last year, 6-3, 6-0 in the championship match. Second-seeded Baluck Deang of Edgewood won the Division 2 singles championship after placing fourth last season with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 win over top-seeded Sarah Gesner of The Prairie School in the championship match. Deang improves her record to 33-4 this year. In Division 2 doubles play, top-seeded Erika Curtin and Ellie Macksood of Xavier remained unbeaten with a 34-0 record this season. They defeated third-seeded Jensen Christensen and Grace Tostrud of Monroe 6-0, 6-2 in the championship match.
NEED INFORMATION?: Rosters and records of teams in the State Tournament are available on the restricted media area of the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org. Results will be available online on the girls tennis homepage.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Girls Tennis Team Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaatennis. Also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.