Blanch, Treu Win Titles At WIAC Championship

Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) and Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) claimed individual championships as the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team finished fifth at the WIAC Tournament held Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 25-26) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison. The WIAC singles titles were the 11th and 12th for the Titans, who recorded multiple league champions in singles play for the first time since 1997. UW-La Crosse, with the help of two singles champions and one doubles winner, scored 50 points to edge UW-Eau Claire by one point (49) for the team title. UW-Whitewater finished third at the league tournament with 46 points, while UW-River Falls finished fourth with 37 points, UW-Oshkosh fifth with 36, UW-Stevens Point sixth with 18 and UW-Stout seventh with 16. UW-La Crosse compiled 20 points to win the overall WIAC championship for the first time since 1992, while 10-time defending league champion UW-Eau Claire finished second with 19. UW-Whitewater finished third in the overall WIAC title chase with 15 points, while UW-River Falls placed fourth with 12, UW-Oshkosh fifth with nine, UW-Stevens Point sixth with five and UW-Stout seventh with four. The overall WIAC champion was determined by using a combination of the league's regular season dual meet standings and post-season tournament rankings. The dual meet standings accounted for one-third of the overall championship criteria, while the tournament results accounted for two-thirds. In WIAC dual play, UW-Eau Claire went unbeaten in six matches, while UW-La Crosse went 5-1, UW-Whitewater 4-2, UW-River Falls 3-3, UW-Oshkosh 2-4, UW-Stout 1-5 and UW-Stevens Point 0-6. Seeded third, Blanch won the final two sets in the championship match at number one singles to defeat top-seed Angie Riedel of UW-La Crosse. Blanch edged Riedel in set scores of 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 to become UW-Oshkosh's first number one singles champion in the WIAC since Ruth Ostenso in 1984. Blanch, who had lost twice to Riedel earlier in the year, advanced to the title match after winning by default over sixth-seed Nicole Hayek of UW-Stout and romping past second-seed and three-time WIAC singles champion Jenny Stafford of UW-Eau Claire in set scores of 6-2, 6-2. Treu made the biggest noise in the tournament as she claimed the number two singles title as the fourth seed. Treu opened play with a 6-3, 6-1 win over fifth-seed Tiffany Serpico of UW-Stevens Point before defeating top-seed Katie Kuzma of UW-Eau Claire in set scores of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2). Treu had lost twice to Kuzma earlier in the season. In the title match, Treu pulled another upset as she defeated second-seed Amanda Gray of UW-River Falls in set scores of 6-1, 6-4. At number three doubles, Blanch and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) cruised through the first and second rounds before losing to top-seed Angela Orlowski and Autum Wilkowski of UW-Whitewater in a game count of 8-5. Blanch and Baur, seeded second, advanced to the title match after defeating seventh-seed Angie Brown and Jada Fenske of UW-Stevens Point, 8-3, and third-seed Molly Hunt and Katie Steffes of UW-Eau Claire, 8-5. UW-Oshkosh also grabbed a third-place finish at number one doubles, where fourth-seed Treu and Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) sandwiched victories around a loss in their second match. The UW-Oshkosh tandem opened with an 8-3 win over fourth-seed Kristin Chamberlain and Mary Steimle of UW-Whitewater before dropping an 8-5 decision to top-seed Kuzma and Stafford of UW-Eau Claire. Treu and Young took their third-place match by a a 9-8 (4) count over third-seed Gray and Jordan Anderson of UW-River Falls. Lee Lueck of UW-River Falls was named WIAC Coach of the Year, while Mary Stiemle of UW-Whitewater was named the league's Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Warhawks Take Down Titans

The UW-Whitewater women's tennis team won its ninth dual match in 10 decisions by topping UW-Oshkosh, 6-3, on Saturday (Oct. 18) in Whitewater. It was the final WIAC dual meet of the 2003 season for both teams, with UW-Whitewater finishing third in the league standings with a 4-2 record and UW-Oshkosh fifth at 2-4. Both teams will compete for the overall league championship at next weekend's (Oct. 25-26) WIAC Tournament in Madison.

UW-Oshkosh (4-5) had two of its three wins against UW-Whitewater (10-2) in singles play as Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) was victorious in the first flight and Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) in the second. Blanch defeated UW-Whitewater's Kristin Chamberlain by a 6-4, 6-0 score, while Treu ousted the Warhawks' Jennifer Stamm by a 6-0, 6-3 count. The victories raised Blanch's season singles record to 11-6 and Treu's to 8-6.

UW-Oshkosh's toughest loss in singles play came in the third flight, where Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) dropped a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 decision to the Warhawks' Autumn Wilkowski.

UW-Oshkosh picked up one victory against UW-Whitewater in doubles action as Treu and Young defeated the Warhawks' Chamberlain and Mary Steimle by an 8-1 score in the first flight.

Blugolds Overpower Titans

10-time defending WIAC champion UW-Eau Claire remained unbeaten in league play by defeating UW-Oshkosh, 7-2, in a women's tennis dual match held Friday (Oct. 17) at Oshkosh West High School.

UW-Eau Claire (5-1/5-0 WIAC) took all five of its singles victories in straight sets, including a 6-0, 6-0 victory by Katie Steffes over UW-Oshkosh's Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in the third flight. The Blugolds' tightest victory was Molly Hunt's 6-4, 6-3 win over the Titans' Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) in the fifth flight.

UW-Oshkosh (4-4/2-3 WIAC) picked up its only singles win in the second flight, a 6-7, 6-2 (10-6) victory for Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) over the Blugolds' Katie Kuzma. The victory raised Treu's singles record to 7-6 on the season.

In doubles action, UW-Oshkosh was handed a pair of 8-3 setbacks before Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) and Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) posted an 8-6 win over Molly Hunt and Steffes in the third flight. The UW-Oshkosh tandem of Baur and Blanch improved their doubles record to 9-3 on the year.

Titans Tame Pointers

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team evened its WIAC dual meet slate at 2-2 after ousting UW-Stevens Point, 7-2, on Wednesday (Oct. 15) at Oshkosh West High School. UW-Oshkosh (4-3) took the match from UW-Stevens Point (1-7-1/0-5 WIAC) by winning four of six singles and all three doubles contests.

In singles play, two bouts went to a third and deciding set as UW-Oshkosh's Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) won in the third flight and UW-Stevens Point's Kim Goron in the fourth. Victorious in straight sets for the Titans were Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) by a 6-0, 6-2 score over Amber Witkowski in the first flight, Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) by a 6-0, 6-4 score over Tiffany Serpico in the second and Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) by a 6-0, 6-2 score over Liz Ganshert in the fifth.

Doubles winners for the Titans were Treu and Young in the first flight, Drechsler and Lauren Jarmusz (So. • Oshkosh) in the second and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) and Blanch in the third. Baur and Blanch were an 8-1 winner over Angie Brown and Jada Fenske of UW-Stevens Point, while the tandems of Treu and Young and Drechsler and Jarmusz won by 8-5 scores.

Titans Coast Past Blue Devils

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team snapped a three-match losing streak by trouncing UW-Stout, 8-1, on Friday (Oct. 10) at Oshkosh West High School. UW-Oshkosh's dual meet victory, its sixth straight over UW-Stout, follows consecutive losses for the Titans to St. Norbert College, UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh (3-3/1-2 WIAC) took its match with UW-Stout (2-5/1-4 WIAC) by winning three times in doubles play and five times in singles action. The tightest contest of the match came at number five singles, where UW-Oshkosh's Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) defeated UW-Stout's Elizabeth Hanson, 7-5, 6-3.

Other UW-Oshkosh winners in singles play, all in straight sets, were Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) in the first flight, Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) in the second, Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in the third and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) in the fourth. Blanch lost only two games in her debate, while Treu and Baur lost just three.

UW-Oshkosh's double victories were compiled Treu and Young in the first flight, Drechsler and Jarmusz in the second and Baur and Blanch in the third. The win by Baur and Blanch was by an 8-1 count over UW-Stout's Hanson and Jenna Bettmann.

Eagles Fly Past Titans

UW-La Crosse put the finishing touches on a tough weekend for UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team by defeating the Titans, 7-2, in a WIAC dual match held Saturday (Oct. 4) in La Crosse. It was the second league loss in 24 hours for the Titans, who also dropped a 5-4 road decision to UW-River Falls on Friday (Oct. 3).

UW-Oshkosh (2-3/0-2 WIAC) lost five of its six singles matches against UW-La Crosse (3-1/3-1 WIAC), obtaining its only victory from Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in the third flight. There, Young raised her record to 6-3 on the season by defeating UW-La Crosse's Louie Dubinski, 6-2, 6-4. UW-Oshkosh's closest setback in singles play came in the second flight, where the Titans' Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) dropped a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 decision to the Eagles' Erica Schmelzer.

In doubles play, UW-Oshkosh found success only once in three tries. The Titans' lone win came in the third flight, where Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) and Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) topped the Eagles' Katie Kaufman and Megan Palmer, 8-2. The victory gave the UW-Oshkosh tandem a 6-3 record on the year.

Falcons Nip Titans In WIAC Opener

The UW-River Falls women's tennis team avenged last year's 9-0 loss to UW-Oshkosh by edging the Titans, 5-4, on Friday (Oct. 3) in River Falls. The Falcons won the dual meet after taking four of six singles and one of three doubles contests.

UW-Oshkosh (2-2/0-1 WIAC) received its two wins in singles play from Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) and Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha). Blanch won her first flight match with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Jordan Anderson, while Young won her third flight contest with a 6-2, 7-5 conquest of Megan Knobloch. Blanch's win in singles play was her team-leading eighth of the season.

In doubles action, UW-Oshkosh had a pair of wins against UW-River Falls (12-1/3-1 WIAC) as Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) and Lauren Jarmusz (So. • Oshkosh) achieved success in the second flight and Blanch and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) in the third. Drechsler and Jarmusz were victorious by an 8-3 count over Knobloch and Amber Weissinger, while Blanch and Baur battled to a 9-8 (8-2) win over Becky Briese and Sarah VandenHoek.

UW-Oshkosh's other dual loss this year was a 5-4 setback to St. Norbert College on September 20.

ITA Midwest Regional Cruel To Titans

Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in singles and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) and Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) in doubles were the only UW-Oshkosh entries to enjoy victory at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Midwest Regional held Friday through Sunday (Sept. 26-28) in St. Peter, Minn. The meet, which had four singles and two doubles participants from UW-Oshkosh, served as a qualifier for next month's ITA National Small College Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Young posted a 1-1 record in singles play after suffering a 6-1, 7-5 loss to ninth-seed Amy Willhite of the College of St. Catherine (Minn.) in the second round. Young began the tournament with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Katie Kundel of the College of St. Scholastica (Minn.).

Also entered in the singles division from UW-Oshkosh were Baur, Blanch and Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon). All three players went winless in two contests after losing matches in the first round of both championship and consolation play.

In doubles action, Baur and Blanch split their two decisions. The UW-Oshkosh duo defeated Jessica Jones and Briggs Rolfsrud of the College of St. Catherine, 8-0, before bowing to fifth-seed Katie Kuzma and Jenny Stafford of UW-Eau Claire, 8-2.

UW-Oshkosh's Treu and Young lost their only doubles match, dropping a 9-7 decision in the first round of championship play to Jaime Gaard and Mikaela Schmitt of Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.).

Green Knights Take Titans Captive

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team had its six-match winning streak over St. Norbert College end when the Green Knights edged the Titans, 5-4, in a dual meet held Saturday (Sept. 20) at Oshkosh West High School.

Each team won three singles contests, but the deciding factor in the match came in doubles play, where St. Norbert College (3-2) took two of the three flights from UW-Oshkosh (2-1).

Winning in singles action for the Titans were Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) in the first flight, Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) in the second and Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) in the fourth. Blanch defeated Amy Voight of St. Norbert College, 6-0, 6-1, while Treu beat Anne Yanda, 6-4, 6-2 and Drechsler topped Katie Warner, 6-0, 6-3.

UW-Oshkosh's lone victory in double play came in the third flight, where Treu and Sarah Marsicek (So. • Milwaukee) defeated Karin Adams and Leslie Kroschel of St. Norbert College, 8-2. The Titans' number two doubles team of Blanch and Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) dropped a tight 9-7 decision to the Green Knights' Yanda and Megan Doherty.

Titans Conquer Vikings

Five Titans found success in both singles and doubles play as the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team ousted Lawrence University, 8-1, on Tuesday (Sept. 16) in Appleton. The victory extended UW-Oshkosh's dual meet winning streak over Lawrence University to 13 consecutive matches.

UW-Oshkosh (2-0) won five of the six singles contests as Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) was victorious in the first flight, Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) in the second, Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in the third, Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn) in the fourth and Lauren Jarmusz (So. • Oshkosh) in the sixth. Convincing victories for the Titans were turned in by Blanch, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Serene Sahar, Treu, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Amy Gammon and Baur, a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Claire Mallory.

In doubles play, UW-Oshkosh took all three contests from Lawrence University (4-3-1). Winning bouts for the Titans were Treu and Young in the first flight, Jarmusz and Lane Drechsler (So. • Neenah) in the second and Baur and Blanch in the third. The tandem of Treu and Young defeated Mallory and Abby Birling, 8-0, while Baur and Blanch topped Gammon and Heather Wing, 8-1.

Blanch Finishes Third At UW-La Crosse Invite

Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) finished third in the number one singles flight to lead UW-Oshkosh's performance at the UW-La Crosse Women's Tennis Invitational held Friday and Saturday (Sept. 12-13) in La Crosse. In addition to UW-Oshkosh and host UW-La Crosse, other schools participating at the non-scoring event were Luther College and UW-Stevens Point.

Blanch, who placed second in the top singles flight at the UW-Whitewater Invitational held September 6, took her third-place match with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Erica Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse. Blanch began her competition with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over Lindsay Hagen of Luther College before dropping a 7-5, 6-3 contest to Angie Riedel of UW-La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh also received a pair of fourth-place singles listings from Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) in the second flight and Lauren Jarmusz (So. • Oshkosh) in the third. Young dropped a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 third-place bout to Louie Dubinski of UW-La Crosse, while Jarmusz lost a 6-4, 6-3 third-place match to Christine Buysse of UW-La Crosse.

In doubles play, UW-Oshkosh's highlight was a third-place finish from Young and Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) in the first flight. The UW-Oshkosh duo defeated Dubinski and Julie Tellefsen of UW-La Crosse in their third-place contest, 8-4.

Titans Subdue Red Hawks In Dual Opener

The UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team took all three doubles matches and won four of six singles contests to defeat Ripon College, 7-2, in its season-opening dual meet held Wednesday (Sept. 10) at the Kolf Sports Center Complex. UW-Oshkosh has now won six of its last seven dual meets against Ripon College, with its lone setback being a 5-4 decision in 2001.

Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain), Michelle Baur (So. • Elkhorn), Diana Treu (Sr. • Mequon) and Lauren Young (Jr. • Menasha) each took part in two victories for UW-Oshkosh (1-0).

Blanch defeated the Red Hawks' Tracy Bicknell in the first singles flight, 6-1, 6-2, and teamed with Baur to defeat the visitor's Sara Gustafson and Natalie Schnick in the third doubles flight, 8-2. Baur was a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 winner over Ripon College's Stacy Harnett in the fourth singles flight.

Treu was a 6-1, 6-0 victor over the Red Hawks' Etta Hilligoss in the second singles flight and teamed with Young to defeat Bicknell and Jamie Lichon in the first doubles flight, 8-5. Young also gained a 6-1, 7-5 win over Lichon in the fourth singles flight.

Ripon College evens its dual record at 1-1 after the loss to UW-Oshkosh.

Titans Place Fifth At UW-Whitewater Invite

Duplicating last year's performance at the annual season-opening event, the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team finished fifth at the UW-Whitewater Invitational held Saturday (Sept. 6) in Whitewater.

UW-Eau Claire finished first in the eight-team meet with 36 points, while UW-Whitewater placed second with 35 points, Augustana College (Ill.) and UW-La Crosse third with 24 and UW-Oshkosh fifth with 17.

Mercedes Blanch (Jr. • Huesca, Spain) was the highest placewinner for the Titans in singles play, finishing second in the first flight after dropping a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 contest to UW-Eau Claire's Jenny Stafford in the title match. Blanch advanced to the championship contest after defeating Emily Schlender of UW-Stevens Point, 6-4, 6-1, and Crystal Ertman of Beloit College, 6-2, 6-0.

In doubles competition, the Titans' highest finish came in the third flight, where Sarah Marsicek (So. • Milwaukee) and Melissa Prast (So. • Combined Locks) finished second after losing a 6-1, 6-4 decision to UW-Whitewater's Nicole Stamm and Kara Theis in the title match. Along the way to the championship contest the UW-Oshkosh duo defeated Diane Pham and Kate Scott of Beloit College, 6-2, 6-0, and Anne Berg and Charis Sorum of Wisconsin Lutheran College, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.