Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The 2026 Midwest Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament will feature familiar foes on Saturday (May 3) as Grinnell College, Lake Forest College, Cornell College and Illinois College have qualified for the tournament in the same order for the third straight season. This year’s event will take place at the Powless Tennis Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
 
Grinnell College enters as the top seed following another impressive regular season. The Pioneers went 6-0 in conference play to claim their seventh consecutive MWC regular season title and are riding a five-year streak of tournament championships. Sporting a record of 14-6, the Pioneers are ranked 30th nationally by the ITA, third in Region VII by the NCAA and eighth in the Central Region by the ITA.
 
Lake Forest College earned the No. 2 seed with a 5-1 MWC record and a 15-4 ledger overall. Like Grinnell, the Foresters have qualified for every MWC four-team tournament since the format began in 1999-2000. Lake Forest is searching for its first MWC Tournament crown since 2019. The Foresters are ranked 67th nationally by the ITA.
 
Cornell College enters as the No. 3 seed after going 4-2 in league play and compiling a 24-3 overall record. The Rams are making their fourth tournament appearance in the last five seasons and are ranked 54th nationally by the ITA.
 
Illinois College enters the weekend as the No. 4 seed with a 3-3 conference record and a 16-8 overall mark. The Lady Blues are making their fourth consecutive postseason appearance – fifth in program history – and are searching for their first postseason victory.
 
Saturday’s semifinals begin with Grinnell vs. Illinois College at 12:00 p.m., followed by Lake Forest vs. Cornell at 3:00 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship match one hour after the conclusion of the second semifinal, with the MWC tournament title and an NCAA automatic bid at stake.
 
For all updates on the tournament, fans can visit the 2026 MWC Women’s Tennis Team Tournament page.