The Gustavus Women’s Tennis team has prepared itself for another run at a MIAC Championship and a NCAA Championship berth by playing a schedule filled with national championship contenders over the course of the season.

The Gusties hosted the ITA National Indoor tournament with eight nationally ranked teams in February, before traveling to Georgia over Spring Break to compete in the FAB 10 Tournament. Finally they travled to play in the Midwest Invite in Madison, Wis. against some of the top teams in the central region including fourth ranked University of Chicago.

“That tournament was a great test for us and showed us that we can compete with the best teams in the country,” Junior Megan Gaard said. “It motivated us to keep working hard and get better so that we are prepared if and when we get the chance to play those teams again.”

While the Gusties have been encouraged by some of their results against many of the nationally ranked teams, they are working hard and setting their sights on a 20th consecutive MIAC Championship. They can be one step closer to earning that title by facing undefeated Carleton on Saturday in Northfield, Minn. “Carleton is our biggest competition in the MIAC, so they are the major roadblock in getting to the post-season,” Senior Julie Bardenwerper said. “They have improved a lot in the past couple years, but we have been working incredibly hard throughout the season to be ready for the match-up. We are excited and mentally prepared for a tough, competitive match.”

After Carleton, the Gusties have three more matches against St. Thomas, Macalester and St. Olaf to try and wrap up the regular season title before competing in the MIAC Playoffs to win their fifth playoff championship since the MIAC adopted the format in 2007. “Winning conference is an outstanding accomplishment. It is one of our goals, and we are excited to defend the title once again this year. We would be so proud to pull it off again this season because the teams in the MIAC are getting stronger and more competitive each year,” Gaard said.

While winning the conference is always a team goal for the Gustie women, the 19 previous consecutive MIAC titles speak to the dominance of the program.

“It would be really exciting to win the 20th consecutive regular season MIAC title. It displays the domination the Gustavus Women’s Tennis team has had in the conference over the past two decades. It would also mean a lot for us to achieve the 20-year milestone for our coach, Jon Carlson,” Bardenwerper said.

While the Gusties are first setting their sights on another MIAC Championship, their ultimate goal is to reach another NCAA Championship, which they have done every year since 1997, as far back as the Gustavus Women’s Tennis archives go. Yet, this year they have prepared themselves by playing the top teams in the nation throughout the season, and are confident they earn another berth to the NCAA Tournament.

“Our team is capable of beating any of the top teams in the region. It will be a matter of each person coming out and executing in her matches, fighting to get the ball in one more time than their opponent in each point.  If each person comes out playing for the sake of the team, we have the ability to make it to another NCAA Championship,” Bardenwerper said.

Gaard thinks the Gusties’ biggest asset is belief in their team.“I think ultimately we have to approach the NCAA championships with confidence. We are good enough to beat teams at the national level. We just have to believe that we can. I know there are no other teams out there working harder than we are, and that is something to be proud of,” Gaard said.

In fact, the Gusties’ work ethic is what they believe can put them over the edge in some of the tight matches they may encounter over the rest of the season. “Our team may not have as pretty of strokes as other top teams in the nation, but we know that we are working as hard if not harder than any team in Division III.  We can take it to the next level by combining our talent with our ability to give all out effort and fight for every point,” Bardenwerper said.

The Gusties will take dead aim at beating their top competition in the MIAC this weekend at Carleton, before focusing on wrapping up a 20th consecutive MIAC Championship, and ultimately striving for another NCAA Championship tournament berth.