MOLINE, Ill. – The Elmhurst women's tennis team closed out its fall season by placing fifth at the 2018 CCIW Championships. Individually, Kathryn Wheeler took home third place at No. 4 singles for the Bluejays.
 
Elmhurst finished the combined CCIW Championship standings in fifth-place with 14 points, edging out Illinois Wesleyan by one point. The Bluejays earned five points for their 4-4 regular season record and scored nine points on championship placement at the CCIW Championships.
 
Wheeler scored half of the Bluejays' 10 points at No. 4 singles, finishing with a 3-1 record. She opened play with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Illinois Wesleyan's Alessia Giardin to advance to the semifinals. Wheeler fell 6-1, 6-2 to Wheaton's Claire Dibble, but bounced back to win her next two matches and take third-place. Wheeler downed North Park's Katie Chelboun 8-1 in the consolation semifinals before toppling Carthage's Maria Salerno 8-2 in the third-place match.
 
Elmhurst added single points at both No. 2 and No. 5 singles as well as all three doubles flights.
 
Rachel Rettger picked up a team point at No. 2 singles. After falling 6-0, 6-2 to Augustana's Annie Timm in the opening round, Rettger upended North Park's Linnea Love 8-2 in the playback bracket before falling 8-6 to Carroll's Shanna Mogden
 
At No. 6 singles, Lindsey McAuliffe dropped her opening match 6-0, 7-6 to IWU's Sam Robinson but bounced back to down Millikin's Alena Hinch 8-1 in the playback bracket. McAuliffe was eliminated with an 8-2 loss to Wheaton's Bethany Hoogerheide.
 
In double play, the Bluejays' No. 1 duo of Chiara Guadio and Ysabel Gonzaga fell 8-3 to Carthage's Angelica Emmanouill and Sam Ramsey before defeating Millikin's Morgan Bettner and Shelby Jones in the playback round. Gaudio and Gonzaga were eliminated with an 8-5 loss to Wheaton's Claire Browning and Claire Dibble.
 
At No. 2 doubles, Rettger and Wheeler fell 8-4 to Carthage's Natalie Favia and Nia Pham in the quarterfinals but rebounded to sink North Park's Lisa Viuhkonen and Grace Pavlak 8-1 in the playback bracket. The Bluejays' duo fell in the consolation semifinals 8-5 to IWU's Sofia Pinheiro and Rebecca Rochacz.
 
Elmhurst's No. 3 doubles pairing of Sarah Paist and Maddy Freeman lost their opening match 8-6 to North Central's Katie KcGraw and Tiffany Smolik, but rebounded to top Carroll's Jenna Boeck and Shana Klenk 8-2 in the playback round. Paist and Freeman were eliminated in the consolation round with an 8-6 loss to Carthage's Hannah Haeberle and Maria Salerno.