Kevin Gisi

The UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team extended its conference winning streak Friday with an 8-1 home win against UW-Stout.

The Blugolds have won three straight matches against conference opponents. Friday’s home victory brings the team’s season record to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the WIAC.

“We knew that this was going to be a little easier match than last week,” said sophomore Megan Born, referring to a Sept. 25 match against UW-Stevens Point. The Blugolds won that match 5-4.

The Blugolds went 3-0 in doubles play against Stout Friday. The No. 1 team of seniors Gina Dahl and Courtney Lynne won 8-5, and No. 2 duo Brenna McCormick and Erin Welch (both seniors) won 8-3. Born and freshman Taylor Heltne won their No. 3 doubles match 8-1.

The Blugolds went 5-1 in singles action. No. 1 Dahl was the only Blugold to lose her singles match, dropping out in identical sets of 6-4. The rest of the lineup – which included McCormick, Born, Welch, freshman Jillian Horner and junior Michelle Reinders – won their matches, all in just two sets.

“It was definitely a huge rebuilding year for them,” Dahl said of Stout, noting that the team lost many of its players from last season. Stout lost all but three of its players from last season’s roster.

The Blugolds will host UW-Whitewater and Edgewood College Oct. 10, three days before the team hosts UW-River Falls. The Blugolds will close their regular season Oct. 16, when they host UW-La Crosse.

Whitewater held an 8-0 overall record as of Oct. 3 but will play in three matches before visiting Eau Claire Oct. 10. La Crosse was 7-1 on the season as of Sept. 29 but also has matches before its scheduled match-up with Eau Claire.

Both teams defeated Eau Claire last season, and players this season have said both teams will be particularly tough opponents down the stretch.

“The next few weeks we have some harder teams to play in the conference,” Born said. “But I think . the matches so far were a good preparation for the matches to come.”