Coming off a split weekend in Minnesota that saw the Blugolds fall to St. Olaf (Minn.) and defeat Cornell College (Iowa), the UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team traveled to Orlando, Fla., to compete against teams from around the country.

“I think that we practiced a lot before and we were really prepared for the matches,” sophomore Michelle Reinders said. “I think we’re all back in the swing of things and that we all picked it up pretty well.”

The opening match of the trip matched the Blugolds up against the Wayne State (Mich.) Warriors, which normally plays against Division II schools. Junior Brenna McCormick and Reinders were the only players to record victories for Eau Claire, as they fell 7-2.

“The first match was (against) a really good team,” Reinders said. “We played well against them and I do think . that it gave us motivation in the other matches.”

The following day, the Blugolds played both Le Tourneau University (Texas) and Carthage College, and won both. Eau Claire swept Le Tourneau University in singles play, and only lost one doubles match en route to an 8-1 victory. Against Carthage, the Blugolds split singles play, but took two of the three doubles matches.

“Everybody on the team works really hard and that we have a really good, positive attitude,” Reinders said. “We really just worked hard and fought for everything.”

The Blugolds then had a day off before returning to action on March 17 against William Smith College (N.Y.). Using the momentum gained in the previous two matches, Eau Claire won 8-1. The Blugolds’ only loss came in the No. 3 doubles.

The Blugolds once again had the following day before returning to action in their final spring break game on Thursday against Franklin & Marshall College (Penn.). The No. 2 singles was the only set Eau Claire lost as they once again won 8-1. The victory improved Eau Claire’s spring break record to 4-1 and 13-6 overall.

“We definitely do have a strong team this year,” Reinders said. “Some of the teams (we beat this year) actually beat us last year, which shows that we really have improved and that we really are growing as a team.”

The team does not play again until April 4 when they host both St. Catherine (Minn.) and UW-Stout.

Next home game
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Date: Saturday, April 4
Place: YMCA Center
Opponent: St. Catherine (Minn.)