There’s such a thing as starting the season out with a bang.  Then, there is an entirely new level.

That level was reached after the UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team blew out UW-Stout in their first match victory of the 2013 season.

Eau Claire didn’t lose a single set against Stout en route to a 9-0 season-opening victory.  The match lasted around two hours, a very quick time for a college tennis match.

Sophomore Colleen McCullough said their victory was really team based.

“That’s what being in athletics is all about, is succeeding as a team,” McCullough said.  “We really showed our ability to do that today.”

The upperclassmen of the squad paved the way early for Eau Claire.

Senior Katie Gillman defeated Stout junior Abby Cornelius 6-0, 6-1 in the battle of No. 1 players.  For Gillman, she said she wants to leave no regrets in any of her matches during her final year of eligibility.

“Since it is my senior season, I’ve kind of taken my game to the next level,” Gillman said.  “I want to have that mentality where I want to dominate my opponents. When you get to harder competition, you don’t want to have to raise your level, so it’s nice to start out on a high level and relax and have fun.”

The rest of her Blugold teammates did well against their opponents as well.

The number two seed for the Blugolds, junior Maddie Johnson, won 6-0, 6-2, and senior Mary Frassetto won out of the number three spot with a score of 6-0, 6-1.

Eau Claire then got its first of two shutouts on the day, as McCullough swept Stout junior Molly Denney 6-0, 6-0.

“I came in focused and I just wanted to start the season out right,” McCullough said.  “My shots were just going the way I wanted them to and it turned out well for me.”

Immediately after, junior Renee Nelson picked up a shutout of her own, blanking the Blue Devils’ sophomore Angela Braun 6-0, 6-0.

Nelson said she started off her first year as an upperclassmen as she wanted and that it will be big for upperclassmen to show by example.

“I think leadership is going to be big and we have some great leaders,” Nelson said.  “I think we all went into it (Saturday) with the right mentality.”

Junior Madison Rossebo finished off the singles sweep by defeating Stout junior Cortney Hallahan 6-2, 6-2.

The domination didn’t stop at singles, as all three Blugold pairs won in doubles competition, as well.

Gillman and Johnson defeated Cornelius and senior Emily Grossen by a score of 8-1 in the number one slot.

Next, Frassetto and Rossebo knocked off freshman Annie Lindsay and Denney by a score of 8-2.  Finally, sophomore Paige Kuepers and Nelson got the best of Braun and Emma Peterson, 8-3.

Last season the Blugolds finished second in the conference to UW-Whitewater and narrowly missed a bid to the national tournament.

Gillman said Saturday’s win is a step in the right direction, as Whitewater looms on the schedule just two weeks away.

“It’s good to get our first conference win and build our confidence,” she said.  “Getting a few matches under our belt will get the kinks out of our game so that by the time we do face Whitewater, we’ll be ready.”