Janie Boschma

The UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team remains undefeated at home this season after beating UW-River Falls at McPhee on Tuesday.

The ‘Golds only gave up one match in singles and one in doubles, finishing with a 7-2 win. The women now stand 13-3 overall and 4-0 in WIAC play.

Coach Craig Monson said the strength of this year’s team comes primarily from leadership from seniors Sarah Riordan and Kristie Carlson.

“They’ve been the core of our team for the past four years,” he said. Monson said their energy and help during practices keep the team motivated.

“It’s like having two assistant coaches,” he said.

Sophomore Katie Brugh said the low turnover from last season has also contributed to the strength of this year’s team. The team only lost one player from the last season, which means that the girls already know how to play together, she said.

“It’s the same chemistry (on the team) that we had last year,” she said. “It wasn’t like starting over this year.”

The lady ‘Golds now prepare to face off against two of the strongest teams in the conference, UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse.

Monson said he does not plan to change practices to prepare for the upcoming match against Whitewater. Because the Blugolds have seen the Warhawks before, they already should know what they need to prepare for and should already be fired up for the match, he said.

“As far as practice goes, it won’t be anything out of the ordinary,” he said.