Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
KENOSHA, Wis. (Oct. 7, 2026) – The top of the North Central College women's tennis singles lineup turned in a 3-0 record against Carthage College on Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) dual. It wasn't enough, however, as the Cardinals dropped their third consecutive CCIW dual, this time by a narrow 4-3 margin.
Carthage (3-2, 3-2 CCIW) earned the doubles point by winning in the number three match over Alexandra Zaskowski and Hannah Sams 6-2, and over Meghan McSweeney and Anais Gerard in the number two doubles match by the same score. The Firebirds went on to sweep the trio of doubles matches, as the duo Berkley Klarich and Kate Herlihy dropped a tight contest in the number one slot, losing 7-5.
North Central's (1-4, 1-4) three points came from the top three spots of the lineup: Berkley, Herlihy, and McSweeney. The dual was decided in the number five match: a contest that went three sets.
The Firebirds extended their lead to two by taking the number six singles match over Sams in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.
Herlihy halved the Carthage lead by dispatching her opponent in just 15 games over two sets in the number two singles slot, 6-1, 6-2.
McSweeney took to the court in the number three singles match with a chance to tie the dual. She took care of business in the first set, winning 6-4. She then saw a late 5-4 lead disappear. After her opponent knotted the match at five by breaking serve, McSweeney answered by breaking their serve to take a 6-5 lead, going on to win the next game on her serve to win the set 7-5, evening the match at two apiece.
Klarich put the Cardinals in front from the top of coach Joey Leto's lineup. The Canadian import handled her foe in the first set 6-3, but stumbled in the second, losing by the same score. Klarich responded by taking a 4-0 lead in the decisive third set, breaking her opponent's serve twice in the process. She'd go on to win the third set 6-2 to put the Cardinals up 3-2 in the dual.
Carthage evened the match at three with a win over Anais Gerard in the number four singles match. Gerard claimed the first set 6-3, but was unable to carry the momentum into the following sets, falling in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 1-6.
The Firebirds clinched the match with a three-set victory over Zaskowski. Zaskowski came out firing, winning the opening frame 6-1. Her opponent, Jordan Miller, answered back by building a two-game lead early in the second set (3-1), and never letting go, winning it 6-4.
In the third set, Miller and Zaskowski traded blows, as each player broke the other's serve in the first four games, leaving them deadlocked at two. Miller continued that trend to go up 3-2 and won the next game on her serve, the first game to be won by the player who was serving in the set, to go up 4-2. Zaskowski's serve was broken for the fourth time to put Miller up 5-2 in the ensuing game. Despite the deficit, Zaskowski came roaring back, breaking Miller's serve to cut into the lead (5-3) and winning the next game to chisel the lead down to 5-4, but was unable to break Miller's serve again to force a tiebreaker, losing the set 6-4. Miller's efforts earned her the victory and Carthage's clinching fourth point.
Herlihy stayed red-hot, winning her third straight CCIW singles match, and her sixth out of eight overall. McSweeney earned her third CCIW singles win in four matches, moving her overall singles record to 2-2 on the year.
North Central has a quick turnaround, as it takes on Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
