Steamboat Springs native Christi Valicenti wins doubles title at Midwest Conference Tennis Championship

LAKE FOREST, IL (10/21/2013)(readMedia)-- The Forester women's tennis team is competing at the Midwest Conference Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend. The highlight of Saturday's doubles tournaments was a championship at the top spot in the lineup by sophomores Sarah Paulson (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and Christi Valicenti (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs).

Lake Forest's best doubles team defeated the top tandem from Beloit College 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and the #1 duo from Carroll University 6-0, 6-3 to reach the championship match. They had split their first two meetings with Grinnell College this season and split the first two sets on Saturday, winning the first 6-2 before falling by the same score in the second. They took the third 6-4 to capture the first conference title at #1 doubles in program history.

Forester sophomore Grace Dowling and junior Gracie Mullins were the defending champions at #2 doubles but were defeated 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 6-2 in the semifinals by St. Norbert College on Saturday. Dowling and Mullins had blanked the #2 team from Cornell College 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

Freshman Marisa Guggenheim and senior Aimee Fadden defeated Ripon College's #3 doubles team 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals before falling 6-1, 6-4 to Grinnell in the semifinals.

Lake Forest's 24 points on Saturday are tied with St. Norbert for the second-highest total in the league. Grinnell ranks first with 30 going into Sunday's singles competition.