The Nielsen Tennis Stadium was full of activity over the weekend as the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted the 15th annual USTA/ITA Women’s Tennis Championships. The National Team Indoor Championships featured a 16-team field, led by Stanford and Duke, the top two teams as ranked by the International Tennis Association (ITA).
The four-day tournament culminated on Sunday as Georgia defeated Vanderbilt in the championship. After losing to defending champion Stanford on Thursday, Wisconsin dropped a consolation match to No. 11 Washington before upsetting No. 37 Old Dominion in Saturday’s consolation match.
Wisconsin, ranked 73rd in the nation, was overwhelmed in its opening match against the Cardinal, losing 7-0. The Badgers regrouped and nearly shocked Washington on Friday, eventually losing 4-3. UW looked sharp in its lone victory of the tournament.
Senior Katie Doughterty and freshman Katie McGaffigan were especially impressive while leading UW to a 5-2 win. Doughterty defeated Monarch’s senior Patricia Araujo 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. McGaffigan then routed junior Julia Sotiriu 6-0, 6-1. UW junior Shana McElroy was also victorious, clinching the match with her 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Mily Kannarkat. The Badgers also won the doubles point.
Though UW was not around to compete in the final on Sunday, its home complex was filled with many people and excitement as No. 4 Vanderbilt battled No. 5 Georgia. Though the gentle crowd heavily favored Vanderbilt, Georgia overcame that setback in winning the USTA/ITA Championship. Amidst all the womanly grunting, Georgia simply outlasted its counterparts. Though the atmosphere was intense, both teams showed signs of sluggishness due to playing four team matches in as many days.
The hardest fought match of the finals was the No. 1 singles slugfest between Vanderbilt’s Sarah Riske and Georgia’s Agata Cioroch. The match attracted the majority of spectators in attendance at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
The lengthy first set showed the determination of both talented players. After the fourth deuce, one of Cioroch’s shots hit the net and bounced directly up into the air. The crowd gasped as the ball narrowly fell back on to her own side. On the ensuing volley, Riske backed her opponent up with a well-placed lob that forced Cioroch to hit her next shot wide, consequently ending the set. Cioroch fought back in the next set as Riske committed too many unforced errors. The match was never finished as Georgia won the championship during the first game of its final set.
Top seeds Stanford and Duke were notably absent from Sunday’s final. Georgia outlasted Stanford in Saturday’s first semifinal 4-3. Vanderbilt upset Duke 4-1 in the other semifinal match.
With Saturday’s victory, the Badgers improved to 4-2 on the season. They are undefeated in the conference, with their only match being a win over Minnesota.