Grinnell College's Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (left) won her second Midwest Conference singles championship in as many years, while teammate Constanza Alarcon '13 (right) also claimed top honors during competition Sunday in Madison, Wis.

Alarcon was the champ in the No. 3 division, giving her two titles for the tournament as she also was on the No. 2 doubles championship team. Sukharnikova won at the No. 4 singles spot after claiming top honors at No. 5 in 2008.

Alarcon began the day with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Katie Beadling of Knox College and stopped Samantha Bachmann of Carroll University 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals. In the title match, she beat Julia Win of Beloit College 6-2, 6-0.

Sukharnikova defeated Katherine Valde of Lawrence University 6-1, 6-2 and then Allison Hamel of Lake Forest College 6-1, 6-1. In the championship match, she rallied to knock off Kate Rasmussen of Carroll 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Elizabeth Spears '11 was the next-highest Grinnell finisher on Sunday, placing second at No. 6 singles. She opened the day with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Anica Cihla of Lawrence and 6-4, 6-3 decision over Natalie Atroshenko of Lake Forest. In the title match, Callie Schroeder of St. Norbert College beat Spears 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Jill Akiyama '10 of Grinnell advanced to the semifinals of the No. 2 singles division, while Toby Cain '12 and Kelsey Picken '10 were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The Grinnell College women's tennis team dominated doubles competition at that portion of the 2009 Midwest Conference Championships Saturday at Madison, Wis.

Constanza Alarcon '13 (upper left) and Catherine Fitch '13 (upper right) claimed the No. 2 doubles title for the Pioneers, while Jill Akiyama '10 (lower left) and Kelsey Picken '10 (lower right) were champs in the No. 3 division. Akiyama and Picken were second at No. 3 a year ago. The title marks Akiyama's sixth Midwest Conference crown to date, as she has also won two singles titles and was part of three league championship teams.

Alarcon and Fitch opened the day with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ripon College's Megan Sockness and Brooke Deans. In the semifinals, they disposed of Natalie Atroshenko and Molly Stapleton of Lake Forest College 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 and then beat Samantha Bachmann and Alyssa Larson of Carroll University 7-5, 6-1 for the title.

Akiyama and Picken defeated Carroll's Erin Mohrbacker and Cheyanne Urso 6-0, 6-0 in their first match of the day. That was followed by a 6-2, 6-0 win over Sara Bennett and Lauren Stroner of Lake Forest College and then a 6-2, 7-5 decision over St. Norbert College's Maria Slusarek and Kristyn Klind in the title match.

Grinnell's No. 1 doubles team of Toby Cain '12 and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 lost 6-4, 6-3 to Elissa McKinley and Kate Rasmussen of Carroll in the quarterfinals. They bounced back to beat Chelsey Foster and Josie Ullsperger of Ripon 10-0 in the consolation semifinals before falling 10-4 to Elizabeth Larson and Jennifer Roesch of Lawrence University in the consolation finals.

The MWC Championships conclude Sunday with singles play.

The Grinnell College women's tennis team placed third at the Midwest Conference Team Championships Friday at Rockford, Ill.

In consolation play, the Pioneers knocked off Lake Forest College 5-2. Grinnell won two doubles matches with the teams of Constanza Alarcon '13-Catherine Fitch '13 (won 8-1) and Jill Akiyama '13-Kelsey Picken '13 (8-4). Finishing off the win were singles victors Akiyama (8-4), Alarcon (8-2) and Elizabeth Spears '12 (8-2).

Earlier in the day, Grinnell lost a hard-fought 5-4 decision to St. Norbert College in the semifinals. Two of Grinnell's wins came from the doubles teams of Alarcon-Fitch (6-2, 6-1) and Akiyama-Picken (4-6, 7-5, 6-3). Grinnell got singles wins from Alarcon (6-0, 6-2) and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (6-1, 6-2).

The tourney continues with singles and doubles play this weekend.

The Grinnell College women's tennis team finished its 2009 regular-season campaign on a solid note Wednesday, posting a 5-4 victory at Central College.

Grinnell trailed 2-1 after doubles play, with the victory coming from Jill Akiyama' 10 and Kelsey Picken '10. They won 8-3 at the No. 3 slot.

But the Pioneers roared back in singles with four wins, those coming from Akiyama at No. 2, Constanza Alarcon '13 at No. 3, Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 at No. 4 and Elizabeth Spears '11 at No. 6. Akiyama and Spears won in two sets, while the other two won in super-tiebreakers.

"This was a great overall win for our team," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "While we struggled in doubles again, we showed a great amount of fight in singles. I thought Jill and Kelsey's win at third doubles showed their strong play, and it was really great to see Jill get back on the winning side in singles against a quality opponent. When she's on in singles, she really fires us up.

"I also want to compliment Constanza and Tatyana for come-from-behind victories in singles after losing their first sets," he added. "They showed great resilience with winning the second set and super-tiebreakers. Constanza was down 5-2 to win 7-6 in the second set, which was due to her ability to get more focused, move on her feet and get more aggressive. We scheduled this match at this point of the season because we knew it would be a great challenge, and my hat's off to a great Central team for making this very competitive."

Grinnell improved to 14-2 on the season, while Central fell to 8-6. The Pioneers have more than a week off before competing in the Midwest Conference Championships.
Box Score

Grinnell College's women's tennis team worked past a pair of opponents Sunday in Beloit, Wis., topping St. Norbert College 5-4 and then beating Beloit College 6-3.

Constanza Alarcon '13 (pictured) returned to Grinnell's lineup after being injured and went on to post a perfect 4-0 mark on the day. Other singles winners for Grinnell against St. Norbert were Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Kelsey Picken '10 and Elizabeth Spears '11. All four swept their foes in two sets, with Alarcon and Sukharnikova losing just one game along the way and Picken only two. In doubles play, Grinnell got a victory from Alarcon and Catherine Fitch '13.

In the win over Beloit, singles winners for Grinnell were Alarcon, Sukharnikova, Picken and Spears. All won in two sets. Doubles winners were the teams of Alarcon-Fitch and Jill Akiyama '10-Picken.

"After going down 2-1 against St. Norbert in doubles, I was pleased to see the women play well in singles with their backs against the wall," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "In particular I thought Kelsey Picken played a very strong match against St. Norbert and continued her success against Beloit. Liza Spears was steady as usual and keeps putting points on the board for our team.

"In the Beloit match, we were able to win two of three doubles which gave us a little breathing room for singles," he added. "Again, it's a testament to our lineup that we were able to go out and win four singles matches. It was great to have Constanza Alarcon back into both our singles and doubles lineup. Her 4-0 mark on the day suggests she's getting back to her high level of play."

Grinnell, 13-2 on the season, closes out regular-season play
Grinnell 5, St. Norbert 4
Grinnell 6, Beloit 3

Just three days after securing a seventh straight Midwest Conference South Division title, the Grinnell College women's tennis team kept up its winning ways in non-conference action.

The Pioneers got out to a 2-1 lead over St. Ambrose University in doubles play and kept going from there to post a 6-3 victory Tuesday afternoon at City Park in Iowa City.

Winning doubles teams for Grinnell were the Nos. 2 and 3 tandems of Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10 and Marlene Salgado Ferrer '11-Elizabeth Montgomery '11.

In singles play, Grinnell won at the 3 through 6 spots with Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Picken, Elizabeth Spears '11 and Catherine Fitch '13. With the win, Grinnell improved to 11-2 on the season while St. Ambrose dipped to 3-4.

"For a midweek match, our players were much sharper than our previous week's match against Wartburg," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "Probably the best performer of the day was Kelsey Picken, who aided the team victory by winning at No. 2 doubles and sailing to a 6-0, 6-0 singles victory. We continue to get wins at different spots in singles, which is encouraging because all of our players are being accountable."

Grinnell heads to Wisconsin this weekend, playing at Ripon College at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and following with a 2:30 p.m. test at Lawrence University. On Sunday, the Pioneers play Beloit College and St. Norbert College.

The Grinnell College women's tennis team won its seventh Midwest Conference South Division title in a row Saturday and in the process extended its winning streak against divisional foes to 30 matches, dating back to 2002.

Grinnell opened the day at 10th Avenue Courts with a 7-2 victory over Lake Forest College and finished it off with an 8-1 win over Illinois College. The wins boosted Grinnell's mark to 4-0 in the MWC South and 10-2 overall.

A strong start in doubles propelled Grinnell against Lake Forest, as the Pioneers got wins from the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10 and Catherine Fitch '13-Elizabeth Montgomery '11. In singles, winners were Akiyama, Sukharnikova, Elizabeth Spears '11 and Fitch.

"The key against Lake Forest was sweeping doubles," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "I was really excited to see Catherine Fitch (left) and Lizzy Montgomery (right) come back from being down 5-0 at No. 3 to win it 8-6. In Jill and Kelsey's match, it was back and fourth and our ability to finish strong gave us the victory. At No. 1, Toby and Tatyana have begun to jell at the right time of the season.

"As for singles, every time we step on the court our women know each individual has a pretty good chance to win," he continued. "It's great to see the wins coming from all different parts of the lineup."

Singles winners against Illinois College were Fitch, Marlene Salgado Ferrer '11, Montgomery and Kelsey Scott '13. Also winning were the doubles teams of Cain-Sukharnikova and Akiyama-Picken. Grinnell also won two matches via forfeit.

"It's a credit to our student-athletes that they were able to continue the success of past Grinnell teams," said Hamilton. "Our women were really focused to do well this weekend and get the South Division crown."

Grinnell heads to Iowa City on Tuesday to play St. Ambrose University.

The Grinnell College women's tennis team took a step closer to winning its seventh Midwest Conference South Division title in a row Friday by blanking Monmouth College 9-0 at 10th Avenue Courts.

Singles winners for Grinnell were Toby Cain '12, Jill Akiyama '10, Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Kelsey Picken '10, Elizabeth Spears '11 and Jessica Byerly '11. Spears (pictured) did not give a single game in her sweep, while Picken lost just one.

In doubles play, winners were the teams of Cain-Sukharnikova, Akiyama-Picken and Catherine Fitch '13-Elizabeth Montgomery '11. Fitch and Montgomery shut out their opponent.

"I felt like the top of Monmouth's lineup would challenge us, and there is no doubt the matches played out that way," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton, whose team is 2-0 in MWC South play and 8-2 overall. "Our singles play of Toby, Jill and Tatyana was strong against good opponents, and at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 of Kelsey, Liza and Catherine were able to use very good shot selection to gain the advantage. We were focused and ready for this match, and know this was the first step in a very important weekend of tennis for us."

Grinnell can claim the division title Saturday when it hosts Lake Forest College at 9:30 a.m. and Illinois College at 3:30 p.m.
Grinnell 9, Monmouth 0

Coe College recorded a 9-0 victory over the Grinnell College women's tennis squad Saturday at the 10th Avenue Courts.

Coe's wins in doubles play were all 8-4 decisions against the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10 and Catherine Fitch '13-Elizabeth Montgomery '11. In singles play, Fitch managed to get five games off her opponent before falling.

Grinnell is now 7-2 overall, while Coe remained perfect at 6-0. Grinnell closes out the home portion of its schedule next Friday with a 4 p.m. contest against Monmouth College and Saturday with tests against Lake Forest College and Illinois College.
Box Score

Wartburg College handed the Grinnell College women's tennis team its first setback of the season Tuesday, winning an 8-1 decision at Waverly.

Grinnell's lone victory came at the No. 3 doubles spot from Catherine Fitch '13 and Elizabeth Montgomery '11. They posted an 8-1 win.

Wartburg improved to 7-3 with the win, while the Pioneers fell to 7-1. Grinnell hosts another Iowa Conference team, Coe College, at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 of Grinnell College (Sima Valley, Calif./Royal) has been named the Midwest Conference Women's Tennis Performer of the Week.

Sukharnikova was a perfect 4-for-4 over the weekend, helping Grinnell improve to 7-0 on the season with wins over Knox College and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

She won at No. 2 and 3 singles and teamed with Toby Cain to earn a pair of victories at No. 1 doubles.

Through its first seven matches, the Grinnell College women's tennis team is still unblemished after the Pioneers stopped Knox College and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at the 10th Avenue Courts on Saturday.

Grinnell blanked Knox 9-0 to improve to 1-0 in the Midwest Conference South Division, and then stopped UW-Stevens Point 6-3.

Three Pioneers won four matches on the day - Kelsey Picken '10 (pictured), Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 and Catherine Fitch '13.

Singles winners for Grinnell against Knox were Toby Cain '12, Sukharnikova, Picken, Elizabeth Spears '11, Fitch and Marlene Salgado Ferrer '11. All of the wins were in straight sets, and Fitch surrendered just one game in her victory.

Doubles wins came from the teams of Cain-Sukharnikova, Constanza Alarcon '13-Fitch and Jill Akiyama '10-Picken.

In the win over UW-Stevens Point, Grinnell swept doubles play with wins by Cain-Sukharnikova, Alarcon-Fitch and Picken-Akiyama. Singles winners were Sukharnikova, Picken and Fitch.

"For us to go out and sweep doubles in both our matches was very important today," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "Given the fact we had an altered singles lineup, I was especially pleased with the play of the top doubles team of Toby and Tatyana. They played consistently and moved well on the court. From a singles standpoint, it was great to have Kelsey Picken get back on track with two victories, even though she had to move up in the lineup. The individuals are learning to be accountable in their positions, which is ultimately making our team stronger and stronger."

Grinnell travels to Waverly on Tuesday to take on Wartburg College. Match time is 4:30 p.m.

The Grinnell College women's team stayed perfect on the season, working past Cornell College 5-4 at Mount Vernon on Sunday.

Grinnell, 5-0 in 2009, got singles wins from Toby Cain '12, Constanza Alarcon '13 and Elizabeth Spears '11. Cain won in two sets, while the others won three-set thrillers. Winning doubles matches were the teams of Catherine Fitch '13-Alarcon and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Fitch and Alarcon won 8-6 and Akiyama and Picken posted a 9-7 win. "By winning two doubles matches right off the bat, it gave us a little bit of an edge heading into singles," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "It turned out to be an extremely difficult day on the singles court for us. After Cornell won at No. 5 and 2, Toby's win at the No. 1 spot pulled us even at 3-3, which was very important. She's had two great days of singles play for us. We then lost another singles match and were down to Constanza and Liza, so they both had to win. Both played extremely steady super-tiebreakers to give us the victory. Liza was the last match on the court and with the pressure on her, she remained calm and steady. She made great shots to finish things off for the victory."

Grinnell plays its first home matches of the season Saturday with contests against Knox College and Wisconsin-Stevens Point. "We had a pretty rigorous weekend of tennis and hopefully that difficult play will make us stronger for these upcoming matches," said Hamilton.

Box Score

With Jill Akiyama '10 going a perfect 4-of-4 on the day and several other players winning three matches, the Grinnell College women's tennis team rolled past Simpson College and Graceland University Saturday in Indianola.

Grinnell beat Simpson 7-2 and Graceland by a 6-3 score. The wins push the Pioneers to 4-0 on the young season.

Singles winners for Grinnell against Simpson were Toby Cain '12, Akiyama, Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Elizabeth Spears '11 and Catherine Fitch '13. The doubles teams of Constanza Alarcon '13-Fitch and Akiyama-Kelsey Picken '10 also won.

Posting singles wins against Graceland were Akiyama, Alarcon, Sukharnikova and Spears. Doubles winners were the teams of Alarcon-Fitch and Akiyama-Picken.

"This was a really good day of tennis for our team," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "We played very consistently in singles up and down the lineup in both matches. Senior captain Jill Akiyama is playing very strong tennis right now for us. She's playing a consistent ball in the singles court and playing aggressively in doubles. It was nice to see our two first-years, Catherine and Constanza, combine for a couple of doubles wins, especially against a very talented team from Graceland."

Grinnell travels to Mount Vernon Sunday for a 1 p.m. match against Cornell College. "We still have one more match this weekend against a very strong Cornell squad," said Hamilton. "It would be nice to cap a good weekend of play with another victory."
Grinnell 7, Simpson 2
Grinnell 6, Graceland 3

The Grinnell College women's tennis team opened the 2009 campaign in stellar fashion Saturday in Rock Island, Ill., defeating host Augustana College 6-3 and then blanking Judson University by a 9-0 score.

Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (pictured) posted four victories during the double dual, while numerous other Pioneers earned three wins.

Grinnell opened the match against Augustana by taking the No. 1 and 3 doubles matches with the veteran teams of Toby Cain '12-Sukharnikova and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10, respectively.

"I'm really pleased with our doubles play against three very good teams from Augustana," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "Toby and Tatyana beat a very solid duo and Jill and Kelsey were equally strong at No. 3. Our first-years are learning through experience, but playing very well in the process."

Singles wins came from Akiyama at the No. 2 spot, Constanza Alarcon '13 at No. 3, Sukharnikova at No. 4 and Liza Spears '11 at No. 6. Sukharnikova gave up just two games in her sweep, while Akiyama surrendered just three.

"All the singles matches were very good contests, one through six," said Hamilton. "The veteran play of Jill and Tatyana were bright spots as they cruised fairly easily to victory, and I'm really pleased Liza pulled out her match at No. 6. Playing that spot last year was great experience and helped her be comfortable today in earning the win."

In the win over Judson, the Pioneers got wins from the doubles teams of Alarcon-Catherine Fitch '13, Akiyama-Picken and Sukharnikova-Lizzy Montgomery '11. Akiyama and Picken blanked their opponent while the other two teams won 8-1.

In singles play, the Pioneers got wins from Cain, Alarcon, Sukharnikova, Picken, Spears and Fitch. Sukharnikova and Fitch didn't lose a game, while Cain and Picken only lost one.

"It was nice for us to spread out our team and take a look at our depth," said Hamilton. "I'm especially pleased with Constanza and Catherine's play through the day. They are talented, and the more college matches they play the more comfortable they will become."

Grinnell is back on the court next Saturday with a double dual against Simpson College and Graceland at Indianola.
Grinnell 6, Augustana 3
Grinnell 9, Judson 0

Coach Andy Hamilton '85 (pictured) is hoping the Pioneers, who finished with a 20-7 mark last season and open the 2009 campaign Saturday with matches against Augustana College and Judson at Augustana, can pick up where they left off . "As a coach, every season is different," he explains. "What we did last year plays into what we might be able to do this year a little bit, but the task at hand really rests in how the performers of the 2009 team play."

Grinnell graduated the likes of Katie Colver '09, the only person ever to win 12 MWC women's tennis titles (four in singles, four in doubles and four team crowns) and 11-time champ Maya Lipert '09, but still return plenty of firepower.

Among the returnees is last year's top singles player, Toby Cain '12, and classmate Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, who played No. 5 singles and went on to win a MWC crown. Those two also made up the Pioneers' top doubles team last season.

Jill Akiyama '10 and Kelsey Picken '10 also return, having teamed up to finish second in the MWC last year in the No. 3 doubles division. Akiyama also owns a pair of MWC singles crowns.

"We have five lineup players from our spring team who should be able to carry us with their experience and talent," said Hamilton. "Toby Cain played No. 1 singles and doubles for us, Jill Akiyama is a three-year letter winner who played No. 2 singles and 3 doubles, Tatyana Sukharnikova played No. 5 singles and No. 1 doubles, Kelsey Picken was at No. 3 doubles and Liz Spears '11 was at No. 6 singles.

"I think Kelsey might figure into the singles lineup, and two other returnees who have gained very valuable experience, Elizabeth Montgomery '11 and Marlene Salgado-Ferrer '11, will push to be in the lineup, as well."

Hamilton said some first-year players will also likely contribute. "We lost two lineup players from our spring team, but fortunately have two accomplished first-year players who figure to be in the lineup in Constanza Alarcon '13 and Catherine Fitch '13," he said. "Constanza was among the top four in her age group in Guatemala the last three years, and Catherine finished fourth and second in doubles the past two years in the state of Washington. Another first-year who may contribute is Kelsey Scott '13, who has focused high school tennis experience."

Others looking to contribute are Jessica Byerly '11, Laura Garcia '11, Lindsey Walter '11, Kalena Makanui '12 and Melanie Worix '12.

Hamilton is hoping the mix of returnees and newcomers can result in yet another MWC crown. "I see St. Norbert, Lawrence and Beloit as powers in the North Division, and I think the South will come down to Grinnell and Lake Forest," he said. "For us to play at the highest level which I think we're capable, we'll need to get our young players comfortable with the college tennis setting and have the five returning lineup players play as they're capable. I think with the returnees' experience and guidance, the young players should blend in fairly easily."

Grinnell College's Maya Lipert '09 (left) and Katie Colver '09 (right) were named NCAA Division III Scholar-Athletes by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

In order to earn the honor, a player must be a varsity letter winner and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the academic year.

Colver, from Waukegan, Ill. (Waukegan HS), and Lipert, from Ames, Iowa (Ames HS), wrapped up stellar careers last season that saw the Pioneers win their fifth consecutive Midwest Conference crown and post the program's first-ever victory in NCAA Tournament play.

Both dominated MWC play during their careers. Colver became the first player ever to win 12 league crowns - four in singles play, four in doubles and four team titles - while Lipert won 11 MWC championships during the same span.
ITA Scholar-Athletes

The Grinnell College women's tennis team saw its history-making season come to a close Saturday, May 9, with a 5-0 setback to the nation's fourth-ranked team, the University of Chicago, in NCAA Division III Tournament play.

Chicago swept the doubles competition with wins over the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Maya Lipert '09-Katie Colver '09 and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Cain and Akiyama lost in singles play to complete the win for Chicago.

Grinnell wound up its campaign at 20-7 and became the first Pioneer women's tennis team this season to win an NCAA Tournament match.

"This was obviously our last match of the season and our women went down to a very strong team," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "But I was pleased with how they competed in a match against the nation's best. I think this weekend's play made our women realize they're a solid team, but also that there are other levels above us to which we can aspire."
University of Chicago 5, Grinnell 0

The Grinnell College women's tennis team made history on Friday, May 8, by earning its first-ever victory in NCAA Division III Tournament play.

The Pioneers blanked Westminster (Mo.) 5-0 in Greencastle, Ind., to move into the regional semifinals on Saturday, where they'll play the nation's fourth-ranked team, the University of Chicago. Match time is 1 p.m.

Grinnell, which improved to 20-6 on the season, swept doubles play with victories by the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (8-4), Katie Colver '09-Maya Lipert '09 (8-0) and Jill Akiyama '11-Kelsey Picken '11 (8-2). Grinnell finished the victory as Colver won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles and Sukharnikova posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 5.

"It's exciting to be a part of Grinnell's first NCAA women's tennis tournament victory," said Pioneers' coach Andy Hamilton. "I'm really excited for senior captains Katie Colver and Maya Lipert. They set the tone with dominant doubles play in an 8-0 win, and as I watched us playing singles I thought all the women were hitting the ball very well and playing at a high level."

Westminster finishes its campaign at 10-10. Hamilton is looking forward to his team's contest against the University of Chicago. "We're excited to be in a regional semifinal," he said. "Looking at an opponent who is ranked fourth in the nation could be daunting, but we're approaching it with excitement."
Grinnell 5, Westminster 0

Times have been announced for regional competition of the 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships hosted by DePauw University this weekend.

Grinnell College, 14-2 during the fall season and 19-6 overall, will play Westminster (Mo.) at 1 p.m. Central time Friday in a first-round match at Blackstock Courts in Greencastle, Ind. That contest will be preceded by a match featuring 14th-ranked Washington University and Manchester at 9 a.m.

In Saturday's semifinals, 12th-rated DePauw faces the Washington/Manchester winner at 9 a.m. and the fourth-rated University of Chicago takes on the Grinnell/Westminster winner at 1 p.m. Sunday's championship will feature Saturday's winners at 11:30 a.m.

"Our matchup with Westminster looks to be a very competitive match," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "The telling sign for us will be whether we have all the wrinkles ironed out of our game because spring is not our primary season. I'm very excited for our senior captains - Katie Colver '09 and Maya Lipert '09 - to lead us into what I hope to be a successful postseason run."

Colver and Lipert have combined to go 20-5 in doubles play this season, while Jill Akiyama '11 and Kelsey Picken '11 are 19-6. Toby Cain '12 and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 are 16-8 at the top spot. In singles play, Colver is 24-3, Akiyama owns a 17-9 mark,

Westminster, from Fulton, Mo., is 10-9 on the season. No. 1 singles player Abby Stuck is 5-13, while Athetia Peterson is 6-5 at No. 2. The best mark belongs to Caitlin Lamkin, who is 13-2. Dori Craighead and Stuck are 8-1 in doubles, primarily playing at the No. 2 spot.
Tournament Web Page