McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's tennis team is set to begin its 2024-25 season at home against Lawrence University. The match will take place on Saturday, September 7, at Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Illinois, starting at 2 p.m.

Head Coach Jason Van Heuklon returns for his third year and has been promoted to Director of Tennis. The team brings back six letterwinners from the previous season, where they achieved a record of 7-11 and qualified for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Their seven wins were the most in a single season since 2012-13.

Sophomore Amber Ehrlich from Springfield, Illinois, leads the returning players. She earned Second Team All-CCIW honors as a freshman and played as the No. 1 singles player last season. Ehrlich also teamed up with Olivia Bell in doubles play, securing a victory during a challenging CCIW schedule. Ehrlich was the first Titan to receive all-conference recognition since Lauren Neitzel in 2017.

The Titans welcome three freshmen this season: Gabi Lipske from Gurnee, Illinois; Katie Van Heuklon from Normal, Illinois; and Angela Zatloka from Justice, Illinois.

This upcoming match marks the first encounter between IWU and Lawrence University in program history. Lawrence lost their season opener to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a score of 6-1 on September 3 and will face Lakeland University before traveling to Bloomington.

Ahead of this season, the NCAA has adjusted the scoring format for Division III dual matches. The new system aligns more closely with NCAA Division I and II formats by awarding one point for doubles matches instead of three separate points. Teams must win two out of three doubles matches to earn this point while singles scoring remains unchanged.

Match results will be available on iwusports.com after completion.