Contact: Greta Norville, Assistant Director of Sport Communications and Marketing, norvilleg@midwestconference.org
JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS – Grinnell College continued its dominance in Midwest Conference women’s tennis play on Saturday afternoon, clinching its eighth consecutive MWC regular season title with a 7-0 victory at Illinois College. The Pioneers previously defeated Monmouth College 7-0 on Saturday morning.
The Pioneers entered the fall as the favorite in the MWC preseason coaches’ poll and lived up to that billing, improving to 7-0 in conference play and 8-0 overall with Saturday’s wins.
Grinnell’s latest championship marks the program’s 10th since 2016-2017 and 22nd overall. The Pioneers have won 62 consecutive MWC matches dating back to 2018-2019.
Grinnell began the afternoon match against IC by sweeping all three doubles matches. Laurel Buttrick and Adelle Persian posted a 6-2 victory at No. 3 doubles, while Sanne IJpma and Margot Groundwater followed with a 6-2 win at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point. Sofia Bolanos and Kayla Surpless completed the doubles sweep with a 6-4 victory at No. 1.
The Pioneers continued their strong play in singles play, sweeping all six matches. Buttrick earned a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No.1 singles, while Groundwater secured a victory at the No. 2 (6-0, 6-1). Bolanos followed with a 6-2, 6-4 win in the number three spot. Persian dominated at No. 4 earning a 6-1, 6-0 win against the Lady Blues. Surpless (6-0, 6-1) and IJpma (6-1, 6-0) rounded out the singles sweep, each claiming victory to complete the Pioneers’ dominant performance.
Grinnell will be the top seed at the 2027 Midwest Conference Women’s Tennis Team Tournament, hosted by the Pioneers in Grinnell, Iowa on Saturday and Sunday (May 1-2). The remaining three qualifying schools are yet to be determined. The four qualifying teams will compete for the MWC Team Tournament title and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
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