NAPERVILLE — As the spring season continued, women’s tennis teams across the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) recorded regional wins, reached program milestones and received individual recognition at both the conference and national levels.
 
Abigail’s Ace: North Central Senior Secures Weekly Honor
North Central senior Abigail Penados was named the CCIW Women’s Tennis Student-Athlete of the Week last Tuesday after a 2-0 showing against No. 37 Grinnell. Penados and Kensington Payne earned a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles before Penados added a three-set victory at No. 1 singles. After dropping the opening set 3-6, she won the final two sets by identical 6-2 scores against Paige Sargent. 
 
The award marked Penados’ second conference weekly honor of the season after also receiving the distinction in October. Her singles win accounted for one of North Central’s two points in the 5-2 loss to the nationally-ranked Pioneers.
 
Thunder and Lightning: Wheaton Freshmen and Vets Strike in Unison
Wheaton improved to 13-4 with a 6-1 win over Illinois Tech last Friday. Senior Madeline Gentry won at both No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles, teaming with Tatum Thurstone for a 6-2 doubles result before claiming a 6-2, 6-3 singles decision. 
 
Freshman Mia Luo continued her strong season at No. 6 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory, marking the sixth time this season she has won a singles match without surrendering a game. Freshman Sophie Dew also contributed with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles and paired with Carly O’Leary for a 6-0 result at No. 3 doubles.
 
A Winning Tradition Returns: Titans Reach Two-Decade Milestone
Illinois Wesleyan reached an 11-6 overall record with a 6-1 victory over Olivet Nazarene last Friday, giving the program its highest single-season win total since 2005-06. Amber Ehrlich and Olivia Bell opened doubles play with a 6-3 win at No. 1, while Ehrlich later added a 6-3, 6-0 result at No. 1 singles. 
 
Katie Van Heuklon and Gabi Lipske secured a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles, and Van Heuklon followed with an 11-9 third-set victory at No. 2 singles after splitting the first two sets. Freshmen Adia Douglas and Elana Religioso also recorded straight-set singles wins in the team result.
 
The Pugachova Power Play: North Park Top Line Dominates
North Park’s Alexandra Pugachova continued to produce strong results over the last week. In a 5-2 loss to Illinois Tech on March 25, she won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles and teamed with Thea Gifvars for a 7-5 victory at No. 1 doubles. 
 
On March 20, North Park posted a 6-1 road win over Wisconsin Lutheran, with Pugachova earning a 6-0, 6-0 result at No. 1 singles. Freshman Jessica Dudas also turned in two singles victories during that stretch, winning at No. 4 singles against Wisconsin Lutheran and later adding a 6-4, 7-6 decision at No. 3 singles against Illinois Tech.
 
Island Hopping to Iowa: Augustana Finds Success Across State Lines
After a spring break trip to South Carolina, Augustana returned to record a 4-3 win over Central on Wednesday. The Vikings had previously dropped matches to DePauw and Oberlin during their time in Hilton Head Island, but Hannah Colbert remained productive, picking up No. 1 singles wins against both DePauw and Central. 
 
In the Central match, Maripaz Ramirez and Colleen Larry also added singles victories, with Larry providing the clinching point at No. 3 singles. Augustana also gained early control through doubles wins from the pairings of Ramirez and Colbert, along with Larry and Kassidy Anderson.
 
Clean Sweep in Racine: Firebirds Fly Past Falcons
Carthage moved to 7-8 overall after a 7-0 victory over Concordia Wisconsin on March 20. The Firebirds won all three doubles matches, including results from Rya Arreazola and Greta Peterson at No. 1 and Niki Manojlovic and Marie Weis at No. 2. Arreazola posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles, while Peterson matched that scoreline at No. 2. Carthage also received singles wins from Manojlovic, Jordan Miller, Bella Rizzo and Valentina Huesca to complete the sweep.
 
Gaining Perspective: Pioneers and Cardinals Face Tough Regional Foes
Carroll and North Central both faced strong regional opponents in recent non-conference action. Carroll fell 7-0 to Wisconsin-Stevens Point last Sunday, though Natasa Pupovac extended her No. 1 singles match to a third-set tiebreak after rebounding from a first-set loss, and Katherine Trifilio forced a second-set tiebreak at No. 2 singles. 
 
North Central’s 5-2 loss to No. 37 Grinnell included singles wins from Penados at No. 1 and Kensington Payne at No. 2.
 
Courtside Calendar: Upcoming Matchups Across the Conference
The upcoming schedule includes several non-conference matches before the conference tournament later this month. 
 
North Central is set to compete in the Midwest Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Friday and Saturday. Carroll hosts Illinois Tech on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Next Wednesday, Augustana travels to Lake Forest for a 3 p.m. match, Illinois Wesleyan hosts Greenville at 4:30 p.m., and North Park visits MSOE for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
 
The CCIW Tournament is scheduled for April 23-25 in Bloomington, Ill.