MORRIS, Minn. – This year, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) added teams from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) to its men's and women's tennis offerings, creating two divisions. As a result, the playoff format had to be adjusted, with the top two teams from each division being the four that would compete in the UMAC Tournament.
 
The Yellowjacket women's team finished second in the UMAC North Division in 2023, unfortunately so did Minnesota Morris. Because of the tie, the Yellowjackets and the Cougars would square off in a play-in match to determine the No. 2 seed in the North Division. The team winning Tuesday's match would advance to this weekend's semifinals, while the losing team would have its season come to an end.
 
The Yellowjackets held a 2-1 lead at the conclusion of doubles play, but Morris came roaring back in singles action to defeat the Yellowjackets 5-2.
 
Playoff matches aren't played until all nine individual matches are decided. Rather, in tournament play, the match ends when one team reaches five match victories.
 
The Yellowjackets' No. 1 doubles team of Andreina Tejada (Quito, Ecuador/Isaac Newton) and Courtney Brandt (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids Senior) got the Yellowjackets started on the right food, getting the win over the Morris team of Kiley Rodarmel and Allison Bruhn, 8-6. The tandem of Brooke Wilfong (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) and Haley Quick (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail High School and Academy) was victorious at No. 3 doubles, defeating Megan Arena and Marybeth Tautges 8-6.
 
Morris would cut that lead in half by the slimmest of margins, getting a win at No. 2 doubles. Abby Burquest and Valerie Gall and Morris needed a tiebreaker to get past the Yellowjacket duo of Shelby Hanson (Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea Senior) and Jessi Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) 8-7 (8-6 tiebreaker).
 
In singles play Morris pulled ahead. Abby Burquest defeated Brandt at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), and Arens got past Quick in straight sets at No. 5 singles, 6-3, 6-3. At No. 3 singles, Bruhn defeated Marina Dostal (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior), 6-2, 7-5.
 
Trying to keep the Yellowjackets alive, Wilfong took the opening set from Gall at No. 4 singles, 6-2. Gall came back and evened the match with a 6-2 win in the second set before clinching the match, and the day for Morris, with a 6-1 win in the third set.
 
The matches for Tejada at No. 1 singles and Kukowski at No. 6 singles were unfinished.
 
The Yellowjacket women close the season with an overall record of 10-13 after finishing 7-3 in the UMAC.