Senior Tori Johnson goes up for the serve at a meet on Sept. 27th at the Meirink Family Tennis facility. Photo courtesy of Madi Petersen.

The Wartburg College Women’s Tennis team enters the 2025 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Women’s Tennis Individual Flighted Singles and Doubles Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10–11, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hosted by Coe College, with strong momentum after an impressive regular season. 

The Knights finished the fall campaign with an 11-3 overall record, a 6-2 conference mark and a five-match regular season win streak. They close the regular season by earning their sixth A-R-C victory, highlighted by sharp doubles play and depth throughout the singles lineup. 

Head Coach Chris Gustas says the unique, flighted format of the A-R-C Individual Tournament creates opportunities for every player to compete at a high level. 

It’s my favorite event of the year because every player in the tournament is being coached to win,” Gustas says. “It’s not just about finding points in a dual meet — every match counts the same, and that means we’re developing freshmen while also helping our seniors go out on a high note.” 

Second-year Brooke Bloom, who recently earned her 25th career doubles victory, credits Wartburg’s aggressive style for the team’s success. 

“We were super aggressive at the net and just finished every single point we got,” Bloom says. “Staying consistent and finishing balls at the net really helped.” 

Wartburg, who finished third in the regular-season standings, looks to build on its late-season surge as the team competes in Cedar Rapids on Oct. 10–11. With depth throughout the lineup and a strong sense of partnership in its pairings, the Wartburg Women’s Tennis team aims to contend across multiple flights in the two-day tournament in Cedar Rapids. 

Fans can view brackets, schedules and live updates on the A-R-C Tournament Central page and find additional tournament details through the ITA Tournament Overview.