IU Southeast women’s tennis team defeats Alice Lloyd College to win KIAC championship

Blake Stewart, Staff

The IU Southeast women’s tennis team beat Alice Lloyd College 9-0 on Friday, clinching the Grenadiers 16th straight KIAC regular season title. That is currently the longest streak in NAIA tennis.

Alice Lloyd College only had four players available to play, and IU Southeast was able to make quick work in defeating the Eagles.

IU Southeast sophomore Whitney Batliner and freshman Dana Frank won their doubles match 8-0, while junior Katie Walsh and junior Maddie Ikerd also won their doubles match 8-0.

The Grenadiers continued their dominance in their singles matches. Freshman Haley Jones won her singles match 6-0 and freshman Dana Frank won 6-1. Senior Katherine Clark won her match 6-1, 6-0, and fellow senior Katie Morrison shut out her opponent winning 6-0, 6-0.

The Grenadiers won three of their matches by forfeit, because Alice Lloyd did not have enough players to complete the matches.

Batliner said it is great to have won another regular season title, but believes the team needs to stay focused.

“It’s great to get another one under our belt, but each match we go out there focused no matter who we play,” Batliner said.

The Grenadiers have won the conference tournament 15 years in a row, but 2nd year head coach Brian Sullivan doesn’t think it’ll be as easy this year.

“I think this will be the toughest tournament that we’ll have had in that time,” Sullivan said.  “There are three other quality opponents that we’re definitely going to have to play well in order to win.”

Batliner said that the team needs to keep on playing matches and improving so that they can complete their goal and win the conference.

Sullivan believes that his girls have been great ever since their first and only loss to Indiana Wesley.

“They didn’t get discouraged losing that first match. They’ve come out, kept improving, and playing hard,” Sullivan said.

The Grenadiers next match is on Friday, October 3, at IU East.