The UW Oshkosh women’s tennis team will look to battle for the 2024-25 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title after an improved 2023-24 campaign in which the Titans finished fourth in the WIAC with a 10-5 record (3-3 WIAC).

Steve Francour returns to the helm of the Titans for his third straight season in his second stint with the program after coaching the team from 1990-2013. In the last two years, Francour (the winningest tennis coach in UWO history) has compiled a 16-9 record and took a program that finished seventh in the WIAC in 2021 and brought the Titans to within three games of the eventual champions UW-Whitewater in the overall standings at the end of last season.

UWO opened up the 2023-24 season with an 8-1 loss to the Warhawks before dominating Ripon College and Lawrence University with a combined score of 17-1. After a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of UW-La Crosse, the Titans responded with four straight wins to improve to 6-2 on the year. Oshkosh dropped a match to UW-Eau Claire at home with three games remaining in the fall season, but took down UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout going into the WIAC Championship. At the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, UWO finished in fourth place at the WIAC Championship but qualified for the WIAC Team Tournament during the spring season.

During the spring half of the season, UWO took down Lakeland University at home 6-3 but fell to North Park University (Illinois) 7-2. At the WIAC Team Tournament, the Titans fell 5-0 to Whitewater in the first round, and Oshkosh’s record was not good enough for them to earn a spot into the NCAA Tournament.

The Titans will have seven returning letterwinners for the 2024-25 season and UWO will be led by sophomore Kayla Gibbs, who led the team with an individual record of 11-7 and compiled a 14-3 doubles record alongside fellow sophomore and doubles partner Jameson Gregory. Last year, Gregory had the second-best individual record on the team after going 9-5. Sophomore Olivia Pethan will return for another season with the Titans after earning a 9-10 individual record and a 10-7 doubles record with her partner, Alysa Pattee.

Ella Nguyen and Hannah Stitt were the only two Titans lost after last season. Nguyen went 10-10 in individual play and 10-6 in doubles play with partner Jameson Gregory while Stitt was 3-6 in individual matches and finished 2-1 in doubles play with three different partners.

UWW will be the team to beat in the WIAC after the Warhawks claimed its 17th straight conference title last season. Whitewater had an early exit to the NCAA Tournament after being knocked out by Carleton College 5-1.

The Titans will kick off the season Aug. 31 at the UW-Warhawk Invite and UWO’s first home match of the year will be Sept. 3 against Lawrence University at the Kolf Sports Center Outdoor Tennis Courts.

UWO Tennis Schedule: 

Aug. 31 – At UW-Whitewater Warhawk Invite (9 a.m.)

Sept. 3 – VS Lawrence University (Kolf) (3 p.m.)

Sept. 7 – VS Ripon College (Kolf) (9 a.m.)

Sept. 7 – UW-La Crosse (Kolf) (Noon)

Sept. 14 – At Loras College Triangular (1:30 p.m.)

Sept. 21 – At St. Norbert College (Noon)

Sept. 25 – VS Marian University (Kolf) (4 p.m.)

Sept. 28 – VS UW-River Falls (Kolf) (11 a.m.)

Oct. 5 – At UW-Stout (9 a.m.)

Oct. 5 – At UW-Eau Claire (2 p.m.)

Oct.11 – VS UW-Stevens Point (Kolf) (3 p.m.)

Oct. 19 – VS UW-Whitewater (Kolf)(1 p.m.)

Oct. 26-27 – At WIAC Championship in Madison (Noon)