Pekulik, making her first appearance in the NCAA post-season event, suffered a 6-4, 7-5 setback to Stephanie Fong of Amherst College (Mass.). Pekulik was one of 32 players participating in the singles portion of the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship, which was won by fourth-seed Elena Blanina of Methodist College (N.C.).

Pekulik finished a stellar UW-Oshkosh career by posting a 74-17 singles record, featuring marks of 22-6 as a senior, 17-7 as a junior, 16-3 as a sophomore and 19-1 as a freshman. In doubles play, the Sheboygan native posted a 55-16 career record, including a 19-8 mark as a senior. Her career victory total in both singles and doubles play established UW-Oshkosh records.

Last fall, Pekulik finished second in the top singles flight at both the WIAC Championship and the ITA Midwest Regional. Pekulik was the WIAC's number two singles champion in 1998 and the number five singles champion in 1997. She also was a member of the number one doubles team that won the WIAC title in 1999.

Pekulik (22-5) is one of 32 singles players contesting for the national title, including defending champion and second-seed Jamie Cohen of Amherst College (Mass.), top-seed Mary Ellen Gordon of Emory University (Ga.) and third-seed Lizzie Yasser of Trinity University (Texas).

Pekulik, the owner of a 74-16 career record, makes her post-season debut on Monday (May 21) with a first round match against Stephanie Fong of Amherst College. The winner of the match between Pekulik and Fong, both unseeded, advances to the second round to meet the victor of a first round match between sixth-seed Sheree Schwartz of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Calif.) and unseeded Erika Proko of Washington & Lee University (Va.).

Last fall, Pekulik finished second in the top singles flight at both the WIAC Championship and the ITA Midwest Regional.

Kleinschmidt finished second at number three singles after dropping a 6-4, 6-2 decision to UW-Eau Claire's Alison Hover in the championship match. The result followed victories of 6-0, 6-1 over UW-Stevens Point's Anne Hildebrandt and 6-3, 6-2 over UW-River Falls' Jordan Anderson.

Pekulik placed second at number one singles following her 6-1, 6-2 loss to UW-Eau Claire's Molly Cope in the title match. Pekulik advanced to the final after receiving a bye in the first round and defeating UW-Whitewater's Jeanna Anderson, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round.

In doubles play, the Titans served up second-place finishes at number one by Debra Ashenbrenner (So. • Menasha) and Pekulik and number three by Kathryn Hart (Sr. • Shorewood) and Kleinschmidt.

UW-Oshkosh posted an 11-2 dual meet record, with the only setbacks being to UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire. The Titans won 80 of their 117 singles matches and 44 of their 75 doubles matches. Pekulik, who was named the conference's co-scholar-athlete of the year, fashioned an 18-4 singles record while teaming up with Ashenbrenner to register a 17-5 doubles mark. Pekulik's performance in singles play, aided by a second-place finish at the ITA Midwest Regional, could earn her a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship this spring.