Head Tennis Coach Byron Balkin claims his first win at the helm of UWW

Balkin

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s tennis team opened their 2025-26 campaign with a conference sweep over UW-Oshkosh. The win marks the first win for Head Coach Byron Balkin.

The doubles teams got rolling, quickly taking over the first three flights to give the Warhawks the team point. 

Molly Asfeld (Waukesha, Wis./West) and Crystina Lee (Downers Grove, Ill./Timothy Christian) took the first match of the season with a 6-2 victory at the second doubles flight. Abigail Weaver (Wakarusa, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) and Gracie Ha (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) grabbed the second necessary flight for the point with a 6-3 victory.

The freshman pair of Josie Wojcikiewicz and Kaitlyn Remke (Johnsburg, Ill./Marian Central) secured the third doubles flight with a 6-4 win.

Heading into the singles flights, the Warhawks and Titans had to play through the elements after a light misting of rain started at the Whitewater tennis courts. 

Remke would be the first singles flight to pick up a team point, taking the fifth singles flight with a straight set victory only dropping one game between the two sets.

Single flights #3 and #4 weren’t too far behind. Asfeld clinched her match in straight sets with a 6-0 victory in the second set. Lee took the fourth singles flight with a 6-3, 6-1 victory to put the Warhawks just one match away from Balkin’s first victory.

Gracie Ha (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) and Abigail Weaver (Wakarusa, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) clinched the match at the first and second flights. Weaver took her first set 6-0 and staved off a late push by UW-Oshkosh to win her second 6-3. Ha played a clean game as well, only dropping one game in the first set on her way to a 6-1, 6-0 victory. 

Abigail McIssac finished the sweep with a third set tiebreaker victory. McIsaac dropped the first set 3-6, but bounced back with a 6-3 second set. In the tiebreaker, McIsaac kept up the pressure and momentum and grabbed the tiebreaker 10-5.

Full Results
Doubles
#1 – Weaver/Ha def. Usui/Gibbs: 6-3
#2 – Asfeld/Lee def Gregory/Owens: 6-2
#3 – Wojcikiewicz/Remke def Pethan/Schaefer: 6-4

Singles
#1 – Ha def. Pethan: 6-1, 6-0
#2 – Weaver def. Usui: 6-0, 6-3
#3 – Asfeld def. Gibbs: 6-2, 6-0
#4 – Lee def. Owens: 6-3, 6-1
#5 – Remke def. Schaefer: 6-0, 6-1
#6 – McIsaac def. Gerl: 3-6, 6-3, (10-5)

Exhibition
Singles – Chloe Knutson (Deforest, Wis./Deforest) def. Dao: 6-0, 6-1
Singles – Julia Nill (Thiensville, Wis./Homestead) def. Longdin: 6-3, 6-2
Doubles – Ashley Adkisson (Licolnshire, Ill./Stevenson)/Megan Griswold (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) def. Dao/Longdin: 5-1

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