The Lawrence University women’s tennis team is going to have to do this the hard way.
The Vikings have been aiming for a Midwest Conference championship all season, and Lawrence will play in the four-team MWC Tournament on Friday in Rockford, Ill. The Vikings drew the tall task of facing defending champion and favorite Grinnell College in the semifinals. St. Norbert College faces Lake Forest College in the other semifinal.
Lawrence had hoped to be the top seed from the North Division and set up a potential championship showdown with the Pioneers. Instead, Lawrence finished second in the North after a 5-4 loss to St. Norbert last Sunday.
“It really doesn’t change our mentality,” Lawrence coach Kevin Girard said. “You have to beat everyone who’s there to win anyway.”
Lawrence hasn’t faced Grinnell this season, but the Pioneers already have an 8-1 victory over St. Norbert in the regular season.
“Grinnell is the favorite going in,” Girard said. “If we play really well, we can definitely beat them. If we come out strong in doubles and get some momentum going, that’s going to be one of the big keys for the match.”
Girard admitted his team did not play well in the loss to St. Norbert, but the defeat has had a positive effect on the Vikings.
“It’s refocused us,” Girard said. “One of the big things we preach is that whether you win or lose you learn something. We learned that you can’t drop your guard down and you have to stay intense.”
The championships then move to Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison for the weekend singles and doubles play. Lawrence’s Beth Larson and Jenni Roesch are the defending champions at No. 1 doubles.
Larson and Roesch are 11-3 overall and unbeaten against conference opponents this season.
“We haven’t played Grinnell, and they play doubles very fundamentally sound. If Beth and Jenni are on, that’s where I would put my money,” Girard said. “Beth and Jenni are very aggressive, and they move together very well. They’ve played together for three years now, and Beth can close her eyes and tell you where Jenni is on the court and vice versa.”
Freshmen Christina Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey are 8-0 at No. 3 doubles but recently moved into the No. 2 doubles slot. Lawrence likely will play Polly Dalton and Gayatri Malhotra at No. 3 doubles.
Larson also is looking for her second conference title at No. 1 singles. Larson won the title back in 2008 and has finished second each of the last two years. Larson is 14-1 at No. 1 singles this season.
“Beth has played everyone but Grinnell’s No. 1, but tennis is a funny game,” Girard said. “She has to make sure she stays focused and does not look past her opponents. You don’t get to take matches off at 1 singles.”
Lawrence also has legitimate chances to earn a spot in the finals in every singles flight. Roesch has a 9-5 record at No. 2, Malhotra is 10-4 at No. 3, Schaupp is 12-2 at No. 4, Geoffrey is 10-4 at No. 5 and Dalton is 6-3 at No. 6.
“I think everyone on our team will be seeded in some capacity,” Girard said. “Seeing anyone’s name in the consolation round will be a disappointment.”
Koula countdown
Lawrence women’s soccer star Mallory Koula is closing in on the school’s career goals record. Koula has nine goals this season and now has 52 for her career, and she is three goals shy of tying the record of 55, which was set by Megan Tiemann, a MWC Player of the Year, from 1998-2001.
Koula gets her first shot at tying the record on Saturday when Lawrence hosts Beloit at 1 p.m.
Closing in on a grand
Lawrence volleyball star Clare Bohrer is nearing 1,000 career kills. The senior middle hitter has 972 kills and is just 28 away from becoming the fifth player in Lawrence history with 1,000 kills.
Sophomore Kathleen Rowland is just 19 digs away from hitting 1,000. Rowland has 981 and is looking to become the eighth player in Lawrence history to reach 1,000 digs. Teammate Sam Nimmer did it earlier this season.
Update: Rowland got exactly 19 digs during Lawrence’s 3-0 win over Ripon on Wednesday and now has 1,000 for her career.
Blast from the past
Lawrence will host a spate of alumni games this weekend during Fall Festival. Volleyball will play its alumnae game at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium, and men’s and women’s soccer, baseball and softball all host alumni games on Sunday at the Whiting Field complex.
The 2011 Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday night at honored at the football game on Saturday. The 1986 football team also returns to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its conference championship. That team also will be introduced at halftime of the football game.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.