The UW Oshkosh women’s tennis team finished fourth at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in Madison last weekend, totaling a score of 32 points, including eight championship points.

Michelle Spicer captured third place in No. 5 singles, and Hannah Peters and Samantha Koppa secured a fourth-place finish in No. 2 doubles, which propelled the Titans to their overall success.

The Titans qualified for the WIAC team tournament in the spring for an opportunity to have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championships in late April.
UWO also had a series of fourth-place finishes by juniors Alyssa Leffler and Koppa in the No. 1 and No. 3 singles, respectively.

Head coach Robert Henshaw said he was extremely happy with how his team performed over the two-day weekend.

“I am exceptionally pleased with the leadership both on and off the court from our juniors and seniors,” Henshaw said. “They all played spirited tennis and played as well as I have ever seen.”

UW-Whitewater finished the weekend claiming the first-place title with a total of 62 points while UW-La Crosse finished second and UW-Eau Claire finished third with 52 and 47 points, respectively.

UWO freshman Ireland Slattery, who recorded a 1-1 record in singles over the weekend, said the Titans are exactly where they want to be despite not finishing in first place.
“Our team still accomplished the goal we set out for, which was to qualify for the spring tournament,” Slattery said. “Everyone gave it their all, and at the end of the day, that is the most important factor.”

However, the work continues as the team gets ready for their spring season and the WIAC team tournament. Spicer said there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
“As a team I think we could just work on helping each other get better as much as possible so we can have that opportunity [playing in the NCAA championships] in the spring,” Spicer said.

The Titans start their spring season and continue competitive play on March 16 at Coe College in Iowa.