Using results from the league’s regular season dual meets and postseason tournament, the UW-Oshkosh women’s tennis team finished fourth in the hunt for the 2004 WIAC championship.

UW-Oshkosh earned its overall ranking after tying for third at the WIAC Tournament held Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 23-24) in Madison and placing fifth in the league’s dual meet standings. The overall WIAC champion is determined by using dual meet results as one-third of the championship criteria and postseason tournament rankings as the remaining two-thirds.

UW-Whitewater counted 20 points to capture its first WIAC title since 1990 and seventh overall. UW-La Crosse finished second in the league’s overall standings with 19 points, while UW-Eau Claire placed third with 14, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 12, UW-River Falls fifth with 10, UW-Stevens Point sixth with five and UW-Stout seventh with four. UW-Oshkosh finished fifth with nine points a year ago.

In dual play, UW-La Crosse posted a 6-0 record, while UW-Whitewater went 5-1, UW-Eau Claire 4-2, UW-River Falls 3-3, UW-Oshkosh 2-4, UW-Stout 1-5 and UW-Stevens Point 0-6.

Winning five singles flights and two doubles categories, UW-Whitewater scored 58 points to easily win the WIAC Tournament. UW-La Crosse finished second with 48 points, while UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh tied for third with 42. Team scoring concluded by the 32 points of fifth-place UW-River Falls, 17 points of sixth-place UW-Stevens Point and the 13 points of seventh-place UW-Stout.

UW-Oshkosh scored the majority of its team points at the WIAC Tournament on the second-place efforts of Mercedes Blanch (Sr. • Huesca, Spain) at number one singles, Lauren Young (Sr. • Menasha) at number two singles and Andrea Nauer (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) at number six singles.

Blanch, the defending champion at number one singles, took second after a 7-5, 7-5 loss to top-seeded Angie Riedel of UW-La Crosse. Blanch (14-6) advanced to her title bout after defeating Jenna Bettmann of UW-Stout, 6-2, 6-3 and Kristin Chamberlain of UW-Whitewater, 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.

Young placed second after falling 6-2, 6-3 to top-seeded Autum Wilkowski of UW-Whitewater in the championship match. Young (12-11) qualified for her title contest after ousting Erica Schmelzer of UW-La Crosse, 7-5, 6-1 and Saran Riordan of UW-Eau Claire, 6-4, 6-2.

Nauer finished second after dropping a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) decision to Andrea Alioto of UW-Whitewater in the championship contest. Nauer (13-9) moved to her title match after defeating Sarah VandenHoek of UW-River Falls, 6 2, 6-4 and top-seeded Erin Fekete of UW-La Crosse, 6-4, 6-4.

Finishing third for the Titans were Tina Wiesner (Fr. • Racine) at number five singles. Wiesner (11-8) placed third after topping Molly Hunt of UW-Eau Claire, 6-4, 6-2.

UW-Oshkosh also received a third-place finish from Blanch and Young at number one doubles. Blanch and Young (10-8) took third place after trimming Laura Geissler and Katie Kuzma of UW-Eau Claire, 9-7. Frank Barnes of UW-Whitewater was named the WIAC’s Coach of the Year, while Chamberlain was selected as the winner of the WIAC’s Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.

UW-Oshkosh concluded its overall dual meet schedule with a 5-5 record.