McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's tennis team is preparing for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament. Entering as the seventh seed, they will face the No. 2 seed, North Park University, in the quarterfinals. The match is set for Thursday, April 24, at 11:30 a.m. and will be held at the Evergreen Racquet Club. Millikin University will host this tournament at Illinois Wesleyan's home facility from April 24 to April 26.

Illinois Wesleyan has an overall season record of 8-11, with a 2-6 standing in the CCIW. Their seeding in the tournament was earned by defeating Millikin and Elmhurst during the fall season. The Titans achieved a 6-1 victory over the Big Blue on September 18 and swept Elmhurst 7-0 on September 23. Amber Ehrlich, a sophomore, has excelled in conference play and received her second consecutive Second Team All-CCIW honor.

Previously this season, on September 14, Illinois Wesleyan lost to North Park 5-2. Despite the loss, the Titans secured wins in both the No. 1 and No. 3 singles matches. Ehrlich led the team with a victory in the top singles position by defeating Hanna Zethraeus with scores of 6-4, 2-6, and 10-5. Another sophomore, Olivia Bell, secured a win in the No. 3 singles after a tough super tiebreaker.

The matchup against North Park marks the 25th meeting between the two teams since 1989, with Illinois Wesleyan currently leading the series 20-4. However, North Park has won the previous three encounters and is entering the tournament after sharing the CCIW Regular Season Championship. North Central, North Park, and Wheaton all concluded the league play with identical 7-1 records, resulting in a three-way tie for first place.

North Central has claimed the tournament's top seed, with Wheaton as the third seed. The fourth seed is Carthage, followed by Carroll at fifth, and Augustana at sixth. Millikin secured its place in the tournament by defeating Elmhurst on April 18 to clinch the last spot.

Should Illinois Wesleyan triumph over North Park, they would proceed to face the winner of the Wheaton-Augustana match in the CCIW Semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 25. The Championship match of the CCIW Tournament is slated for Saturday, April 26, at 12 p.m., with the victor earning an automatic entry into the NCAA tournament.