LA CROSSE, Wis. – The UW-Stout women's tennis team wrapped up its fall season on the road against nationally ranked UW-La Crosse, putting the finishing touches on a fall campaign that saw the Blue Devils secure their first-ever berth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Automatic Qualifier Tournament.
Facing one of the top teams in the country, the Blue Devils continued to show the growth and competitiveness that has defined their season. One of the highlights of the afternoon came at No. 6 singles, where Addie Schmitt made her varsity debut and turned in an impressive performance. After dropping the opening set 6-1, Schmitt battled back in the second, pushing her opponent to the limit before narrowly falling 7-5. Her effort was another example of the fight and determination that has become a hallmark of the Blue Devils this fall.
With the conclusion of the WIAC regular season, UW-Stout officially secured the No. 6 seed in the conference's Automatic Qualifier Tournament, marking the first time in program history that the Blue Devils have qualified for the event since its inception in 2008.
The tournament features the top six teams from the conference's fall regular-season standings, with seeding determined by results from the fall season. The Automatic Qualifier Tournament takes place in the spring, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship.
The historic qualification marks another significant step forward for a UW-Stout program that continues to build momentum. After recording its first WIAC dual-match victory since 2023 earlier this fall, the Blue Devils have now earned an opportunity to compete for a conference championship and a berth in the national tournament.
UW-Stout will enter the spring tournament as the No. 6 seed and travel to UW-Stevens Point for a quarterfinal matchup on April 27. The winner will advance to the semifinals, keeping its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
For the Blue Devils, the fall season may have come to a close, but the opportunity to make even more program history awaits in the spring.
