THE TOURNAMENT:  The 31st Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Team Tennis Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. The meet takes place at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Action will begin at 4 p.m. Friday and resume Saturday at 9 a.m.

GET TICKETS: The WIAA uses GoFan Ticketing for all digital and cashless tickets. Admission is $9 plus online fees for adults and students. All tickets must be redeemed on a mobile device. To purchase tickets, visit the WIAA website and find the Tickets tab at the top of the homepage or access the Tickets directly at:  https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAA2?activity=Tennis.

TEAM TOURNAMENT SEEDING: Seeding of the State Girls Team Tournament in both divisions began in 2017. In Division 1, the eight coaches of the qualifying teams vote to seed all eight teams. In Division 2, the four coaches of qualifying teams vote to seed all four teams in the bracket.

THE DIVISION 1 MATCH-UPS:
Division 1 – Quarterfinals (4 p.m. Oct. 25)
Match-1:  #1 Arrowhead (25-1) vs. #8 Monona Grove (17-4)
Match-2:  #4 Notre Dame (22-3) vs. #5 Neenah (18-3)
Match-3:  #3 Middleton (15-6) vs. #6 Eau Claire Memorial (17-6)
Match-4:  #2 Brookfield East (23-1) vs. #7 Westosha Central (25-0)

Division 1 – Semifinals (9 a.m. Oct. 26)
Match-5:  Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match-6:  Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4

Division 1 – Championship (2 p.m. Oct. 26)*
Match-7:  Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6

THE DIVISION 2 MATCH-UPS:
Division 2 – Semifinals (9 a.m. Oct. 26)
Match-1:  #1 Brookfield Academy (17-5) vs. #4 Newman Catholic (12-3)
Match-2:  #2 Aquinas (24-3) vs. #3 Kohler (13-10)

Division 2 – Championship (Oct. 26)*
Match-3:  Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2

* Time TBA based on first court available

BY THE NUMBERS:  There were 201 teams participating in the girls tennis Tournament Series this fall with 134 in Division 1 and 67 in Division 2. The State Tournament field of teams is determined by team points recorded at the subsectional and sectional levels.

LAST YEAR:  Second-seeded Arrowhead won the Division 1 title for the second straight season following a 5-2 win over top-seeded Middleton in the championship match. The Warhawks won at the #2 and #3 singles flights and swept the doubles matches to post the victory. In Division 2, top-seeded University School of Milwaukee notched its second consecutive title with a 6-1 win over third-seeded Xavier in the championship match. The Wildcats recorded victories at the top three singles positions and all the doubles flights to account for the margin of victory.

THE HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:  Nicolet has won six titles since the advent of the team championship dual format in 1994 and has won a membership-leading 17 titles. University School of Milwaukee has won 11 titles, while Brookfield Central and Homestead have captured nine titles. Whitefish Bay possesses eight team championships.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Two-time defending champion Arrowhead returns to the State Team Tournament as the #1 seed. The Warhawks qualify for the fifth time overall and for the third year in a row. In addition to their back-to-back titles, the Warhawks’ experiences at State produced a championship in 2014. Second-seeded Brookfield East returns to State for the ninth time overall and for the first time since 2021. The Spartans’ most notable appearance in the State Tournament was a runner-up finish in 2015. Middleton, the runner-up the past two seasons, is the #3 seed. The Cardinals are making their 12th appearance overall and their fifth in a row. In addition to their recent runner-up finishes, they won the Division 1 championship in 2013 and the alternate season championship in 2020-21, which was played in the spring as an accommodation for the COVID-19 pandemic. Notre Dame is the #4 seed in the bracket. The Tritons are making their second appearance in the past three seasons and their 14th overall. They have won five Division 2 championships. A five-year run of appearances from 2007-11 produced three straight titles from 2008-10. In addition, they made three straight appearances from 2001-2003 that produced championships in 2002 and 2003. The Tritons had runner-up finishes in Division 2 in 2005 and 2011. They are seeking to advance past the quarterfinal round for the first time in four appearances in Division 1. Fifth-seeded Neenah is making its 21st overall appearance at State and its third in the last four years. The Rockets won State titles in 2015 and 2021, and they have finished runner-up seven times, including 1983, 1986, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017 and the alternate season in 2020-21. Eau Claire Memorial is seeded sixth. The Old Abes are making their second straight appearance and their 23rd overall, which leads all member schools in number of appearances. The Old Abes are seeking their first team tournament title. They have placed second five times, including 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2013. Westosha Central, which received the #7 seed, is making its first-ever appearance in the State Team Tournament. Eighth-seeded Monona Grove embarks on its third State experience and its first since 2003. The Silver Eagles finished runner-up in Division 2 in 2001, and they fell in the Division 1 quarterfinals in 2003.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Brookfield Academy was issued the top seed in the bracket as the Blue Knights make their first-ever trip to the State Team Tournament. Second-seeded Aquinas is back in the team tournament for the second straight season and for the sixth time overall. The Blugolds finished runner-up in their first-ever appearance in 2000 and have been ousted from title contention in the semifinals in their last four appearances. Third-seeded Kohler appears in the State Team Tournament for the fourth time and for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2019. The Blue Bombers also qualified in 2015 and 2016 when they were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals. Newman Catholic, the fourth seed, advances to the State semifinals for the second time. The Fighting Cardinals only other appearance came in 2013, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals.

LAST WEEK:  Third-seeded Clare Schaefer of Whitefish Bay won the Division 1 singles crown with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over fourth-seeded McKenna Thorson of Verona after placing sixth the past two seasons. In doubles play, the top-seeded duo of Sarah Neubert and Isabella Heidenberger of Arrowhead won the Division 1 championship defeating second-seeded Abby Frasher and Amelia Stuckslager of Divine Savior Holy Angels 6-3, 2-6, 12-10 in the final. Neubert improved on a sixth-place finish with a different partner in 2023. In Division 2, top-seeded Kylie Matz of Brookfield Academy defeated third-seeded Kate Fortney of Aquinas with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the championship match. In Division 2 doubles action, the top-seeded duo of Vivie Auth and Adel Schneider of St. Mary Catholic reigned as champions after downing sixth-seeded Natalie Cooper and Lauren Loesl of Pacelli 6-0, 6-3 in the title match. Auth and Schneider cap an undefeated season at 31-0.

STATE MEET APPAREL:  WIAA-licensed apparel is available for the State Girls Individual and Team Tennis Tournaments at Nielsen Tennis Stadium during the tournaments.

FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Girls Tennis Team Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaatennis. Also like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram at wiaawi.