Bloomington, Ill. -- Saturday afternoon saw the final match of the 2025 CCIW Women's Tennis Tournament take place at the Evergreen Racquet Club, as the top-seeded North Central Cardinals faced off against the third-seeded Wheaton women's tennis team. Both squads rolled through their quarterfinal and semifinal matches over the past two days, reaffirming their status as the conference's premier programs. But it was North Central's talent and momentum that ultimately claimed the crown on Saturday, as the Naperville outfit earned the conference's automatic bid to the national tournament with its fourth-straight CCIW Championship win, topping Wheaton by a score of 4-1 in the trophy match. The Thunder finish their 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 15-6 and a conference mark of 7-1 that yielded a share of last fall's CCIW regular season title, a record-extending 23rd in the program's history.

Wheaton upset North Central in Naperville in the two sides' regular season meeting back in October, snapping the Cardinals' 50-match win streak in CCIW fixtures. But the Thunder's fellow regular season co-champions made up for that defeat today with a 4-1 victory, marking their third win over Wheaton in the conference title match in the last four seasons. Saturday's championship was less one-sided than the past two finals between these teams, however, as the Thunder avoided a shutout and pushed their local opponents to a third set in four of the six singles battles.

Wheaton's #2 doubles team of Ella Malone and Tatum Thurstone were on track to win their matchup this afternoon just as they did in the noteworthy victory over the Cardinals last fall, building a 5-2 lead over their NCC rivals. But North Central earned wins from the #1 and #3 doubles contests to secure the day's first point and bring the #2 match to a premature end.

Janet Kondo gave Wheaton its first point in a CCIW Tournament Championship since 2019 with a straight-set win in her #6 singles fixture at a 7-6, 6-2 line. But the Cardinals used their experience to grind out victories in the #1, #3, and #4 matches, the latter two of which required a third frame, to continue their dominance of this weekend's competition and punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships.

With only two senior players on this year's roster and notable season accomplishments under its belt including the aforementioned regular season title and head-to-head win over the conference champions, Wheaton is well-positioned for more success when the 2025-26 campaign begins in August.