CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – With a blend of seasoned veterans and promising newcomers, another exciting American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) women’s tennis is set to begin soon with the 32-time regular season champions, Luther College, selected to sit atop the standings at the end of the regular season again. Read below about the Norse and the entire A-R-C as we prepare to begin the 2024-25 campaign tomorrow. 

The Poll: 

The Luther College Norse are the coaches’ choice to win the 2024-25 American Rivers Conference Women’s Tennis title again this season. The Norse have won five straight conference titles and were chosen first on eight ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 64 points to earn the No. 1 ranking. Coe garnered 57 points in the poll and received one first-place vote. Loras and Wartburg both earned 45 points to land at No. 3 in the coaches’ poll. Central picked up 37 points to put them at the No. 5 spot. The P-Wolves tallied 30 points to put them at the No. 6 spot. Dubuque, Simpson, and Buena Vista finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.

New Head Coaches:

Nicole Berger - Simpson College

National Spotlight: 

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has not released preseason polls yet. 

The Schedule: 

The 2024 season kicks off on Friday, August 30 with Wartburg heading to Chicago to face North Park. Five more A-R-C women’s tennis teams begin their season on Saturday, August 31. Buena Vista kicks off their season with a pair of matches against Cornell and Wisconsin-Stout in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The Central College Dutch will head to Monmouth and the Truman State Invitational. Loras will host Ripon on Saturday evening and Luther will head to the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invite. Simpson will get the first look at Ripon on Saturday morning. League play begins on Tuesday, September 3 with Buena Vista hosting Simpson and Central heading to Lincoln, Nebraska to face Nebraska Wesleyan. Coe will begin their season and league play when they travel to Wartburg on Saturday, September 7 and Dubuque will host Luther to begin their 2024 campaign. 

The A-R-C Individual Tournament will take place Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12 in Pella, Iowa at the Pella Christian and Pella High School Tennis Courts. 

On the Line: 

At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule this fall, the top six teams move onto the conference tournament that is slated for the spring of 2025. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, April 22 with the 4/5 seeds and the 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher seeded home court. On Thursday, April 24, the winner of the 4/5 opening round match will travel to the No. 1 seed, while the 3/6 winner will make the trip to the No. 2 seed. The championship match will be held at the home venue of the higher seeded team remaining on Saturday, April 26. The winner of the 2025 American Rivers Conference AQ Tournament will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Tournament. 

Preseason No. 1 | Luther College Norse

Adam Strand enters year fourteen as the Norse head women’s tennis coach. During his tenure, he has compiled a 198-112 overall record. He has led Luther to seven conference championships, five conference AQ titles, and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Norse finished last season with a 19-6 overall record and 8-0 conference record. 

Luther will return seven starters for the 2024-25 campaign. They will return Jay Mascardo, Riley O’Donnell, Abby Ostermann, and Abby Struble as all-conference performers from last season. Strand named his players to watch as Lenu Lichau, Mascardo, Julia Moreno, O’Donnell, Ostermann, Montse Ramirez Mainou, and Struble. 

Preseason No. 2 | Coe College Kohawks

Coe will be led by Mike Strydom for the fifth season this year. He has compiled a 46-37 overall mark during his first few seasons leading the charge. Last season, the Kohawks finished 12-10 overall and 7-1 in league action, good enough to finish second in the conference standings. 

Coe welcomes back six starters for this season looking to continue to make a push to the top led by three-time conference most valuable player Maddie Schultz. Sophia Fain and Alliandra Hagness return as other all-conference honorees with Schultz. 

Preseason T-No. 3 | Loras College Duhawks

Cam Long is entering his second season with the Duhawks. Last season, he led Loras to an overall mark of 13-9 and 6-2 mark in conference action to finish third on the conference standings. 

This season, Loras returners six starters. All-conference performers returning include Mary Breitbach, Dorothy Deans, Caroline Hutchinson, and Leia Papanicholas. Long listed his returning players to watch as Breitbach, Deans, Hutchinson, Papanicholas, Ellie Kalina, and Jessie Yelaska. 

Preseason T-No. 3 | Wartburg College Knights

Chris Gustas will be beginning year nine as the head women’s tennis coach at Wartburg. During his time in Waverly, he has compiled an overall record of 109-79. During the 2023-24 campaign, the Knights recorded a 14-11 overall record and a 5-3 conference record to finish fourth in the league standings. 

Although losing one important piece to the Knight tennis puzzle, they return five strong returners for the upcoming season including Natalie Kaiser, an A-R-C all-conference performer in both singles and doubles. Gustas named his returning players to watch as Kaiser, Reese Williams, Emma Thurness, Tori Johnson, and Lily Schreckengast. 

Preseason No. 5 | Central College Dutch

Ryun Ferrell enters his 11th season as the head women’s tennis coach in Pella. Last season, the Dutch finished 10-12 overall and 4-4 in league action to finish fifth in the conference standings. 

Central welcomes six returners back for the 2024-25 campaign. Ferrell noted his returning players to watch were Madi Whalen, Jenna Mahoney, and Becca Vala. 

Preseason No. 6 | Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves

Lee Steinbrook enters his fifth season as the head coach. Last season the P-Wolves finished the season with an overall record of 4-7 and a 3-5 league record. 

Nebraska Wesleyan will return all but one player plus Anna Burt and Crystal Craft return after missing last fall due to injury. The Prairie Wolves also welcome back all-conference performers Addi Duranski and Ella Ford.

Preseason No. 7 | University of Dubuque Spartans

Chad Fenwick enters year two as the Spartans head women’s tennis coach. During his first season at Dubuque, they finished with an overall record of 4-14 and 0-8 in league action. 

Dubuque looks to build off experience to continue to improve in teh conference standings this season with six starters returning. Adriana Benavente and Hayden Warner return as all-conference performers. Fenwick named Benavente, Warner, and Breann Kieliszewski as returning players to watch. 

Preseason No. 8 | Simpson College Storm

Nicole Berger is entering her first year in the league and at Simpson. She looks to take over the Simpson program and take it to new heights. Last season, the Storm finished 2-11 overall and 2-6 in the A-R-C. 

Simpson returns five starters, including all-conference performer Bella Tranquilino. Berger named Tranquilino and Grace Peck as returning players to watch this season. 

Preseason No. 9 | Buena Vista University Beavers

Dan Taylor enters his sixth season as the head women’s tennis coach in Storm Lake. Last season, the Beavers finished 2-17 overall and 1-7 in conference action. 

The Beavers return four starters to the lineup as they continue to build off previous seasons to move up the conference standings. Taylor named Macy Weller and Hailey Meseck as returning players to watch this season. 

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About the American Rivers Conference

The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.