2016 WIAC Women's Tennis Championship Preview University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will aim for a 10th consecutive first-place finish at the 2016 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Tennis Championship (Presented by Culver’s) that will be conducted Oct. 22-23 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis. The 45th collection of league teams will also decide six singles champions, along with three sets of doubles winners. The Warhawks secured their league-leading 16th conference title in program archives a year ago with 21 overall points to slip past UW-La Crosse’s second-place total of 18 points. UW-Eau Claire placed third with 15 points, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 11, UW-Stevens Point fifth with 10, UW-Stout sixth with six and UW-River Falls seventh with three. The team title will be determined by using a combination of the regular-season dual-meet standings and the WIAC championship results. The finish in the regular-season standings accounts for one-third of the criteria, while the conference championship accounts for the remaining two-thirds. Point distribution following the dual-meet rotation consists of: UW-Whitewater (6-0) (7 points); UW-La Crosse (5-1) (6 points); UW-Eau Claire (4-2) (5 points); UW-Oshkosh (3-3) (4 points); UW-Stout (2-4) (3 points); UW-Stevens Point (1-5) (2 points); and UW-River Falls (0-6) (1 point). The initial day of competition at the conference event will consist of the first two rounds of doubles matches followed by the first round of singles matches. The second day of the championship will feature the final two rounds of singles matches followed by the last round of doubles matches. The top four teams (following the conclusion of the WIAC championship) will advance to a team tournament that will determine the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III championship. The team tournament will be held at the site of the overall conference champion prior to the NCAA championship next spring. Individually, UW-Whitewater claimed all six singles titles a season ago and five performers are back, including senior Megan Humphreys, who is the reigning two-time WIAC Player of the Year. She won the No. 1 singles crown last season and the No. 3 singles title in 2013. Earlier this fall, Humphreys captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional and posted a runner-up finish at the ITA Oracle Cup. Additional returning champions for the Warhawks from last year include: sophomore Gabi Kitchell (No. 2 singles); junior Alexandra Talyansky (No. 4 singles); junior Jillian Wallace (No. 5 singles); and junior Alicia Beck (No. 6 singles). Talyansky added the No. 3 singles crown in 2014, while Wallace won No. 5 singles and Beck secured No. 4 singles. In doubles competition a year ago, Humphreys helped the No. 1 doubles team place first, while Wallace and Beck claimed No. 2 doubles and Kitchell and Talyansky No. 3 doubles. Humphreys and Kitchell won the ITA Midwest Regional earlier this fall. In 2014, Beck and Wallace were members of the winning duos at No. 1 doubles and No. 2 doubles, respectively. At the 2014 championship, UW-Eau Claire junior Sarah Henderson won the No. 6 singles title, while UW-La Crosse junior Bridget Bellissimo captured the No. 1 singles crown. The weekend will also feature the following top wins leaders from each school: UW-Oshkosh freshmen Samantha Koppa (9-3) and Alyssa Leffler (9-5); UW-River Falls freshman Brittany Asfeld (2-5) and sophomore Karli Helland (2-4); UW-Stevens Point senior Frances Weiss (4-8); and UW-Stout sophomore Katie Kreibich (7-5), junior Jenna Welke (7-5) and senior Anna Lano (7-4). # # # # #