The Lake Forest College women's tennis team is competing at the Midwest Conference Singles and Doubles Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend. Highlighting play on day one of the event was a runner-up finish at #2 doubles for junior Grace Dowling and senior Gracie Mullins.
Dowling and Mullins, seeed third in the bracket, won 8-3 against Lawrence University in the quarterfinals and 8-4 against the #2 seeds from Cornell College in the semifinals. Their bid for a second career title at the position was thwarted by the #2 team from St. Norbert College. Dowling and Mullins finished their three years as a doubles team with a program record 35 victories together.
Junior Christi Valicenti and sophomore Lexi Chionis were seeded fourth at #1 doubles and advaned to the semifinals by defeating the top team from Lawrence 8-6. They were then defeated 8-5 by the #1 seeded team from Carroll who went on to win the title. The quarterfinal victory was the team record 47th in Valicenti's career at that position, breaking a tie for first in school history with Melika Celebic (2009-13).
The Foresters' #3 doubles team of junior Emily Rabin and sophomore Zoe Maurer were defeated in the opening round but came back to post 8-1 victories over Ripon College and Illinois College to win the consolation bracket.
Singles play also began Saturday night and Lake Forest sophomore Brittany Khayet prevailed 6-1, 6-0 over the #5 player from Knox College. She will face the #2 seed from Cornell on Sunday. The other five Foresters in the singles lineup had first-round byes and will begin play on Sunday.
This is the first year the league's singles and doubles tournaments will be held separately from the conference's team tournament, which has been moved to the spring. Lake Forest went 7-3 in MWC play this fall to secure a spot in the four-team tourney on April 24.
