(WIAA) – The 33rd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Girls Team Tennis Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24. The tournament takes place at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Action will begin Friday at 4 p.m. and resume Saturday at 9 a.m.
TEAM TOURNAMENT SEEDING: Seeding of the State Girls Team Tournament in both divisions began in 2017. In Division 1, the eight coaches of the qualifying teams vote to seed all eight teams. In Division 2, the four coaches of the qualifying teams vote to seed all four teams in the bracket.
THE DIVISION 1 MATCH-UPS:
Quarterfinals (Oct. 23 – 4 p.m.)
Match-1: #1 Brookfield East (21-2) vs. #8 Brookfield Central (14-11)
Match-2: #4 Bay Port (29-1) vs. #5 Eau Claire Memorial (23-3)
Match-3: #3 Middleton (19-2) vs. #6 Westosha Central (20-9)
Match-4: #2 Neenah (20-1) vs. #7 Elkhorn (12-12-1)
Semifinals (Oct. 24 – 9 a.m.)
Match-5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match-6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
Championship (Oct. 24 – 2 p.m.)*
Match-7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
THE DIVISION 2 MATCH-UPS:
Semifinals (Oct. 24 – 9 a.m.)
Match-1: #1 Brookfield Academy (14-7) vs. #4 Pacelli (10-5)
Match-2: #2 St. Mary Catholic (17-1) vs. #3 Edgewood (14-4)
Championship (Oct. 24 – 2 p.m.)*
Match-3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
*Time an approximate based on first court available
BY THE NUMBERS: There were 206 teams participating in the Girls Tennis Tournament Series this fall with 134 in Division 1 and 72 in Division 2. The State Tournament field is determined by team points recorded at the subsectional and sectional levels.
LAST YEAR: Top-seeded Brookfield East won the Division 1 title for the second consecutive year with a 6-1 win over second-seeded Neenah in the championship match. The Spartans won at all singles flights and at the #2 and #3 doubles positions to post the victory. In Division 2, fourth-seeded Shorewood downed third-seeded Altoona 6-1 in the championship match. The Greyhounds recorded victories at each singles and doubles position except at #4 singles to account for the margin of victory.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Two-time defending champion Brookfield East, the top seed in the bracket, returns to State for the 11th time overall and for the third consecutive season. Prior to winning the title the past two seasons, the Spartans’ most notable appearance in the State Team Tournament was a runner-up finish in 2015. They also finished runner-up when the team tournament format was introduced in 1980 and 1991. Second-seeded Neenah is making its fourth appearance in a row and its 23rd overall. The Rockets won State titles in 2015 and 2021, and they have finished runner-up eight times, including 1983, 1986, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017, the alternate season in 2020-21 and again last season. Middleton is the #3 seed. The Cardinals are making their 13th appearance overall and their fifth in the past six seasons. They won the Division 1 championship in 2013 and the alternate season championship in 2020-21, which was played in the spring as a fall sport accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cardinals also advanced to the championship match and finished runner-up in 2022 and 2023. Fourth-seeded Bay Port qualifies for the first time in program history. Eau Claire Memorial is seeded fifth. The Old Abes are making their fourth straight appearance and their 25th overall, which leads all member schools in the number of team tournament appearances. The Old Abes are seeking their first team tournament title. They have finished runner-up five times, including 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2013. Sixth-seeded Westosha Central is making its third State appearance in a row, which also accounts for the Falcons’ overall total. They seek to advance past the quarterfinal round for the first time. Elkhorn was issued the seventh seed. The Elks are participating in their second State Team Tournament. Their first experience resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals in 2022. Eighth-seeded Brookfield Central qualifies for the 15th time and for the first time since 2008, which capped a run of five successive appearances in the championship match. The Lancers captured team tournament titles in 2002, 2003 and 2006, and finished runner-up in 1996, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Prior to a separate team tournament, Brookfield Central won five consecutive team championships from 1983-87 and another in 1991. The Lancers were also runner-up prior to the team tournament in 1988, 1990 and 1993.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Brookfield Academy was issued the top seed in the bracket. The Blue Knights qualify for the second time in the past three seasons. They won the championship in their first-ever experience at State in 2024. St. Mary Catholic, the #2 seed, has qualified for the State Team Tournament for the second straight season and for the fourth time overall. In the Zephyrs’ previous three appearances, they fell in the semifinals in 2000, 2004 and last year. Third-seeded Edgewood is making its second straight appearance and its 16th overall. The Crusaders won Division 2 championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. They also have four runner-up finishes on their ledger. Those came in 2004, 2010, 2012 and again in 2014. Pacelli is seeded fourth. The Cardinals qualify for the second time. They fell in the semifinal round in their first appearance in 2016.
LAST WEEK: Top-seeded Natalia Martinez, a sophomore from Brookfield East, earned the Division 1 singles championship with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over second-seeded Brhianna Curro, a junior from Homestead, in the title match. The win improved Martinez’s perfect record to 27-0 this season after placing fifth at State in 2025. In doubles play, the fourth-seeded tandem of senior Lillianna Graf and junior Maria Cristescu of De Pere won the title to improve its record to 31-1. They defeated the third-seeded duo of senior Isabella Heidenberger and junior Iris Liu of Arrowhead 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 in the championship match. Both Cristescu and Graf have made two previous appearances at State. Cristescu placed third with a different partner last season after a fourth-place finish in 2024. Graf qualified in singles play last year after advancing to the second round in 2024. In Division 2, top-seeded Kylie Matz, a senior from Brookfield Academy, returned to championship form to win the singles title with a 27-1 record following a 6-2, 7-5 triumph over third-seeded Sasha Quandt, a senior from Lourdes Academy. Matz also won the singles title in 2024. In Division 2 doubles action, juniors Ava Miller and Parker Van Dusen of Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic improved on their runner-up finish last season to win the championship this year with an unblemished 28-0 record. The top-seeded tandem defeated the second-seeded sister team of juniors Hope and Grace Saller of St. Thomas More 6-3, 6-3 in the title tilt. Miller and Van Dusen also have a fourth-place finish in 2024.
THE HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Nicolet has won six titles since the advent of the team championship dual format in 1994 and has won a membership-leading 17 titles overall. University School of Milwaukee has won 11 titles, while Brookfield Central and Homestead have captured nine titles. Whitefish Bay possesses eight team championships.
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