2006-07 Carthage Women's Tennis Review/2007-08 Season Preview

2007-08 Season Review

The Carthage College women’s tennis team (11-12, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) finished second at the 2007-08 CCIW Women’s Tennis Championship at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Ill.  Wheaton College (Ill.) won its 12th CCIW title and its third in a row with 69 points, followed by Carthage second at 59, Augustana College (Ill.) third at 37, North Central College fourth at 27, Illinois Wesleyan University fifth at 23 and Elmhurst College tied with Millikin University for sixth place with five points each.  North Park University, the league’s eighth team, no longer sponsors women’s tennis. 

Carthage’s Gina Klein (Jr., Darien, Ill./Hinsdale-South) advanced to the CCIW number-one singles championship round, where she lost to Jordan Hook from Wheaton (Ill.), 6-2, 6-0.  Beth Kaufman (Jr., Barrington, Ill.) won the number-two singles championship by defeating the Thunder’s Shannon Hale, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3).  Taylor Gustafson (Sr., Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield) won the number-three singles title with a win over Brooke Parrish from Wheaton (Ill.), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.  Kathleen Hornick (So., Appleton, Wis./Kimberly, 7-6) lost the number-four singles championship to the Thunder’s Brittney Dunn, Dunn winning 6-1, 6-2.  Ashley Morgan (Jr., Afton, Minn./Stillwater Area) lost in the number-five singles semifinals and lost her match for third place.  Julie Rendino (Sr., McHenry, Ill.) lost in the number-six singles semifinals, and she won her contest for third place.   In doubles, Carthage’s number-one team of Klein/Gustafson won the title over Jordan Hook/Lindsey Hallett from Wheaton (Ill.), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.  Beth Kaufman/Kathleen Hornick won the number-two doubles title over Shannon Hale/Brooke Parrish from Wheaton (Ill.), 7-5(5), 6-2.  The Lady Reds’ number-three doubles team of Morgan/Kristina Roglin (So., Downers Grove, Ill./South) lost in the semifinals and lost their third-place match.

Three Carthage players were named to the 2008 All-CCIW team.  Beth Kaufman (So., Barrington, Ill., 19-9 final season record) was named first-team All-CCIW, as well as the CCIW Women’s Tennis Championship tournament MVP.  Gina Klein (So., Darien, Ill./Hinsdale-South, 11-14) was also named first-team all-conference.  Taylor Gustafson (Jr., Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield, 18-11) earned second-team All-CCIW honors.

Carthage, seeded second, lost to top-seeded and Wheaton (Ill., 21-3), 8-1, in the title match of the April 2008 CCIW Women’s Tennis Automatic Qualifying Tournament at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Ill.  With the win, the Thunder received the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship.  Carthage won its semifinal match with a 9-0 win over third-seeded Augustana College (Ill., 13-10).  Wheaton (Ill.) blanked fourth-seeded North Central College (10-8), 9-0 in the other semifinal contest.