Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu 

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (April 19, 2026) - The North Central College women's tennis team hosted No. 63 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in a non-conference affair Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals lost the regular season finale 6-1 to the Warhawks, with Liveta Ezerskis claiming the lone point for the Cardinals in the regular season finale. 

Coach Joey Leto and his team will turn their attention to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament, with the Cardinals taking on the winner of Augustana College and Carroll University on April 23 at 10 a.m. 

In doubles, the Warhawks won each of the three contests by the score of 6-4. Abigail Penados and Kensington Payne were slotted in the number one spot, Ezerskis and Kate Herlihy were in the number two spot, while the pairng of Sophia Drozd and Meghan McSweeny were in the number three slot.  

Singles opened with a pair of three set thrillers. Penados won the opening set of her match 6-4 before falling in the second set 7-5, ultimately losing in a tiebreaker by a 10-1 tally.  

Herlihy also went the distance in her match. After losing the opening set 6-1, she dominated the second set 6-2. Her and her opponent then played in an intense third set, with the athlete from the Wisconsin-Whitewater (11-7) winning 7-5.  

Payne lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, while McSweeney (6-0, 6-0) and Drozd (6-1, 6-2) also suffered straight set defeats.  

The lone point in the match for North Central came from Ezerskis in the third spot in the lineup. She took home a straight sets win, winning the opening set 7-6 on a 7-2 tiebreaker and cruising in the second set to a 6-2 win.  

Tournament play begins this Thursday for the Cardinals at 10 a.m. in Bloomington at the Evergreen Racquet Club.