West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's women's tennis team is set to conclude its season at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis this weekend. The tournament, hosted at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center, marks the 48th edition of the women's championship since its inception in 1977.

Southeast Missouri secured the top seed after winning its second consecutive OVC regular season title. SIUE follows as the No. 2 seed, having earned a first-round bye. Southern Indiana finished as the No. 3 seed, improving from last year's final position, while Lindenwood takes the fourth spot. The remaining seeds are Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois, and Western Illinois.

The Leathernecks enter the tournament as the seventh seed and will face off against SIU-Edwardsville on Friday. Their recent encounter saw SIUE triumph with a decisive 7-0 victory over Western Illinois. The winner of this match will advance to Saturday's semifinal to compete against either Southern Indiana or Eastern Illinois.

Key players for Western Illinois include Lara Rossetto Diniz de Souza and Paige Grice, who lead in doubles victories with four wins each. Grice shares the lead in singles wins with Anna-Evelina Trush at five victories apiece, while Rossetto Diniz de Souza has achieved three singles wins this spring alongside Agatha Carbonell.

Last week marked a challenging end to their regular season as Western Illinois suffered losses against Lindenwood and SIUE.