Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
WHEATON, Ill. (Oct. 19, 2026) – The North Central College women's tennis program earned its second College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) victory on Monday evening, sweeping Elmhurst University 7-0 at Wheaton College's tennis courts.
North Central (2-6, 2-6 CCIW) earned its first doubles point of the conference season, winning the top two matches in the doubles slate. Berkley Klarich and Kate Herlihy took a dominant 6-1 win in the number one spot, while Anais Gerard and Meghan McSweeney clinched the doubles point in the number two spot, winning by the same score. Abby Heintz and Alexandra Zaskowski were victors by default in the number three slot, as Elmhurst did not put up a duo to face them.
The Cardinals entered singles play with a lead and did not let it go to waste. They quickly got to work. McSweeny extended the lead to 2-0 with a straight-sets victory in the number three spot of the lineup, dominating her way to 12 consecutive game victories to take the match 6-0, 6-0.
Gerard followed suit in the number four slot to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead, winning 12 consecutive games over two sets to win 6-0, 6-0.
Herlihy clinched the match for the Cardinals with a victory in the number two spot of Coach Joey Leto's lineup. She won by the same score as Gerard and McSweeney: 6-0, 6-0.
Elmhurst's (0-7, 0-7) lone game wins came in the number one singles match. Klarich still came out with a dominant straight-sets victory, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 to extend North Central's lead to 5-0.
The final two points in the dual for North Central came in the number five and six singles matches. Zaskowski (number five singles) and Heintz (number six singles) both won by default after they were not given an opponent to face.
Herlihy's victory grew her win streak to five straight singles matches and seven straight CCIW victories. She finished the CCIW slate 7-1, all from the number two spot in the lineup. She leads the team in singles victories with 10.
Klarich, the reigning CCIW Player of the Week, finishes CCIW singles play 5-3, with four straight victories to end the Fall, all in conference affairs.
McSweeney also finishes the CCIW schedule with an above .500 record, going 5-3 in singles play, all from the number three spot, winning four of her last five conference affairs.
The top three spots in the Cardinals singles lineup went 17-7 in conference duals.
The Cardinals will resume play in January. The schedule on northcentralcardinals.com will be updated to reflect their Spring contests once the schedule has been finalized.
