MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's tennis team just keeps on rolling along, taking care of business if you will.
As amazing of a run as the Yellowjackets had in 2024, the Yellowjackets didn't reach their ultimate goal of claiming the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship and punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Call that unfinished business if you will.
The encore to an historic 2023-24 season has been impressive for the Yellowjackets. They blew last year's record-setting win total out of the water and cruised to their second consecutive UMAC North Division championship in the process. Friday they rolled over Webster in the semifinals of the 2025 UMAC Women's Tennis Tournament, setting up a rematch of last year's semifinal with Greenville, the top seed coming out of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
A year ago, the Yellowjackets took down Greenville in impressive fashion, 5-2. This year, the Yellowjackets were even more impressive.
After surrendering the doubles point to Greenville, the Yellowjackets dominated in singles play, surging to a 4-1 win and the program's first ever UMAC tournament championship at the Baseline Tennis Center.
With the win, the Yellowjackets, who have now won 10 straight matches dating back to March 29 and they are now 21-5 on the year.
Greenville claimed the doubles point, winning two of the three matches, but the Yellowjackets were undeterred, winning four singles matches in straight sets to clinch the match.
Match Notes
- The doubles pair of Elif Oezen (Rheda-Wiedenbrueck, Germany/Einstein Gymnasium) and Brooke Wilfong (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) won their match at No. 3 doubles, defeating Greenville's Lily Gregory and Callie Adkins 6-3. The duo continues to roll, improving to 6-0 in doubles action.
- UWS evened the day at 1-1 when Giulia Araujo De Barros (Curitiba, Brazil/Colegio Sabre) rolled to a win at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-4.
- Araujo De Barros improved to 19-3 in singles play. Her 19 singles wins is tops among all Yellowjackets.
- Kate Jonas (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) had little trouble at No. 5 singles, defeating Adkins 6-1, 6-3 to put the Yellowjackets in front.
- Jonas' singles record now stands at 18-3.
- The Yellowjackets reached the precipice of victory a few minutes later when Wilfong earned the win at No. 6 singles. She bested Gregory, who she also defeated in doubles play, 6-4, 7-5.
- With her win Wilfong improved to 12-1 in singles play.
- The Yellowjackets clinched the win when Anouk Bluemm (Nuremberg, Germany/Wilhelm-Loege Gymnasium) came up big at No. 1 singles, defeating Irlanda Oliver 6-4, 6-3.
- The victory brought Bluemm's record in singles play back to .500 for the year at 8-8.
- With the match clinched, the other two singles matches were aborted.
- Oezen won the first set at No. 2 singles, 7-5, before dropping the second, 4-6. Her third set had yet to start when the match was called.
- At No. 3 singles, Claudia Curtis (Lake Mills, Wis./Lake Mills) was trailing in the third set. She won the opening set 6-4 before falling 1-6 in the second. She was down 1-4 in the third when the Yellowjackets clinched.
- The Yellowjackets are now 2-0 all-time against Greenville.
- The 10-match winning streak is the longest win streak in program history.
The Yellowjackets now advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. They will learn where they will be playing and who their first-round opponent will be Monday, when the NCAA holds its selection show at 11 a.m.
