Women’s Tennis

Category: Women’s Tennis

Vikings win two singles titles, one doubles crown at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — Beth Larson won the No. 1 singles title and teamed with Jenni Roesch to win the No. 1 doubles title to lead the Lawrence University women’s tennis team at the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend.

Christina Schaupp took home the No.  4 singles title for the Vikings as well.

Larson capped a stellar career with her second title at No. 1 singles. She also took the crown back in 2008. Larson started with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Knox’s Megan Funk in the quarterfinals and she then defeated Grinnell’s Sadhana Athreya 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Larson rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Carroll’s Abigail Pellett in the championship match.

Schaupp, a freshman, didn’t drop a game en route to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ripon’s Chloe Piepho in the quarterfinals at No. 4 singles. Schaupp followed that with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Carroll’s Erin Bowman in the semifinals. Schaupp then wrapped up her first conference title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Clothilde Thirouin of Grinnell.

Larson and Roesch repeated as the conference’s No. 1 doubles title, and that marks the first time Lawrence has won back-to-back titles at No. 1 doubles since 1985-86.

Larson and Roesch opened with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Beloit’s Taylor Jones and Courtney Yates in the quarterfinals. Larson and Roesch then won a hard-fought battle over Carroll’s Alyssa Larson and Kate Rasmussen 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Larson and Roesch posted an impressive 6-0, 6-4 win over Athreya and Laura Krull of Grinnell in the championship match.

Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey reached the title match at No. 3 doubles but dropped a 6-4, 6-0 decision to Toby Cain and Shirlene Luk of Grinnell. At No. 2 doubles, Lawrence’s Polly Dalton and Carla Schmidt were eliminated in the semifinals.

Geoffrey posted a pair of victories to reach the championship match at No. 5 singles but dropped a tough 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 decision to Grinnell’s Hanna Feldman.

In the other singles flights, Roesch beat Dana Pierce of Knox to win the consolation final at No. 2, and Dalton defeated Ripon’s Olivia Wetzel in the consolation final at No. 6. Gayatri Malhotra lost in the consolation final at No. 3 singles.

Lawrence finished third in the team standings based on the Vikings’ finish at the team championship on Friday. The Vikings finished with 66 points during the singles and doubles competition, and that was second to Grinnell’s 96.

Vikings fall to Grinnell in MWC Tournament semifinals

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Lawrence University women’s tennis team fell to Grinnell College 5-0 on Friday morning in the semifinals of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

The matches are only played until one team reaches five points so four singles matches were unfinished.

Lawrence takes part in the singles and doubles competition this weekend at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.

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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings gunning for MWC title

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.

St. Norbert edges Vikings to win North Division title

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The St. Norbert College women’s tennis team downed Lawrence University 5-4 in a Midwest Conference match and won the North Division title in the process.

The Vikings now face South Division champion Grinnell in the MWC Tournament semifinals next Friday in Rockford, Ill. St. Norbert plays Lake Forest in the other semifinal.

The Vikings got down early on Sunday by winning only the No. 1 doubles match behind Beth Larson and Jenni Roesch. Larson also won at No. 1 singles, and Christina Schaupp (No. 4) and Polly Dalton (No. 6) also won in singles for the Vikings.

The Green Knights won at Nos. 2, 3 and 5 singles to clinch the match.

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Vikings double up Carroll

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team picked up a 6-3 Midwest Conference victory over Carroll University on Thursday to remain unbeaten in league play.

The Vikings are now 3-0 in the North Division and a victory over St. Norbert on Sunday would give Lawrence the top seed from the division in the four-team conference tournament.

The Vikings (10-1 overall) swept the doubles from the Pioneers and took three singles matches. Beth Larson won at No. 1 singles, Gayatri Malhotra was victorious at No. 3, and Hannah Geoffrey won at No. 5.

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Vikings blank Ripon to remain undefeated in MWC

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s tennis team rolled to a 9-0 Midwest Conference victory over Ripon College on Tuesday to remain unbeaten in the league.

Lawrence (9-1, 2-0 MWC North) swept the doubles, including an 8-1 victory at No. 1 by Beth Larson and Jenni Roesch, and didn’t drop a set in the singles. Both Gayatri Malhotra at No. 3 and Christina Schaupp at No. 4 posted 6-0, 6-0 victories.

Lawrence ran its winning streak against Ripon to eight consecutive matches. The Vikings have posted three shutouts during that stretch, which dates back to the 2004 season.

Lawrence is tied with Carroll University and St. Norbert atop the North Division. The Vikings host Carroll on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Lawrence Courts.

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Vikings edged by UW-Eau Claire

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the season with a 5-4 nonconference defeat at UW-Eau Claire on Sunday.

The Vikings split the singles with Beth Larson winning at No. 1, Christina Schaupp winning at No. 4 and Hannah Geoffrey winning at No. 5. The Blugolds carried the day by taking two of the three doubles matches. Geoffrey and Schaupp won at No. 3 doubles for the Vikings.

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Vikings stay unbeaten with rout of Beloit

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team stayed unbeaten with an 8-1 Midwest Conference victory over Beloit College on Saturday at the Lawrence Courts.

The Vikings improved to 8-0 and are now 1-0 in the North Division with the impressive win over the Bucs, who had been beaten only once in eight matches coming into the event.

Lawrence swept the singles matches, and the most impressive wins came from Beth Larson at No. 1 and Christina Schaupp at No. 4. Both players lost only one game en route to their wins.

Lawrence also picked up wins by Larson and Jenni Roesch at No. 1 doubles and by Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey at No. 3 doubles.

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Lawrence takes downs Titans

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team stayed unbeaten by posting a 6-3 nonconference victory over UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday at the Lawrence Courts.

Lawrence opened by winning two of the three doubles matches, with Beth Larson and Jenni Roesch winning at No. 1 and Christina Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey winning at No. 3.

Lawrence then won at Nos. 1 through 4 singles to wrap up the match. Larson won at No. 1, Roesch took the victory at No. 2, Gayatri Malhotra won at No. 3 and Schaupp was victorious at No. 4. 

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Larson grabs MWC Player of the Week award

Lawrence University women’s tennis star Beth Larson has been named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Larson (Maplewood, Minn./Mounds Park Academy), a senior and former Midwest Conference No. 1 singles and doubles champion, was perfect on the week in singles and doubles as Lawrence posted a 3-0 record.

Larson lost only five games total in three matches at No. 1 singles as Lawrence defeated Dominican (Ill.) University 9-0, Edgewood College 9-0 and Lake Forest College 8-1. Larson teamed with Jenni Roesch at No. 1 doubles and went 3-0, which included an 8-0 win over Dominican (Ill.).

Larson is now 6-0 in singles and 5-1 in doubles this season.

Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts UW-Oshkosh on the Lawrence Courts.