DeForest girls tennis competes at Badger tournament

DeForest's girls tennis team recorded a strong showing at the 2026 Badger Conference Tournament.

In the two-day event, held at UW-Madison’s Nielsen Tennis Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26, DeForest finished third in team scoring with 32 team points.

The Badger Conference combines teams from the Small and Large divisions in the tournament, meaning DeForest’s third-place finish was out of 15 teams total.

In light of the success on the court, DeForest had two flights secure runner-up finishes on Saturday: No. 1 doubles Atley Rauber and Allie Nordness and No. 2 doubles Evangeline Linzner and Addisyn Basham.

DeForest's No. 3 tandem — led by Molly Finnegan and Ella Finnegan — and their No. 2 singles Lillian Henriksen, each finished in third place.

Conference tournament results

Molly Finnegan (front) and Ella Finnegan (back), pictured earlier this year, finished third at No. 3 doubles at the 2026 Badger Conference Tennis Tournament over the weekend.

DeForest’s No. 3 singles Emersyn Meek and No. 4 singles Lauren Koeller secured fourth-place honors, while No. 1 singles Lillian Krieg advanced to the second round of the tournament.

Starting in doubles, Rauber and Nordness (No. 1 doubles) breezed past Portage (6-1, 6-0) and McFarland (6-2, 6-3) in their first two rounds. Into the semifinal match they went, where the duo teamed up for a 6-4, 6-2 win over Monona Grove. In the championship match, Rauber and Nordness lost in two sets to Waunakee (6-0, 6-4).

Linzner and Basham (No. 2 doubles) followed a similar path. The tandem made quick work in their first two rounds. They defeated Watertown (6-0, 6-1) and Stoughton (6-0, 6-2) soundly before a dramatic three-set victory over Edgewood in the semifinals.

After winning their first set 6-3, the duo dropped the second 6-2, though they rebounded with an 11-9 match tiebreak win to qualify to the championship match. Playing against Waunakee with a first-place finish on the line, the duo lost in two sets, 6-2 and 6-2.

Molly and Ella Finnegan (No. 3 doubles) continued DeForest's success. The duo secured victories over Oregon (6-3, 6-1) and Reedsburg (6-2, 6-4) before falling to Edgewood (6-2, 6-0) in their semifinal match. Molly and Ella Finnegan closed the tournament on a high note, defeating Sauk Prairie in two tight sets: 6-4, 7-5.

Lillian Henriksen (No. 2 singles) was the second Norski flight to achieve third-place honors. Henriksen made quick work of Milton (6-1, 6-1) and Fort Atkinson/Cambridge (6-0, 6-2) before taking Baraboo to three sets in her semifinal match. She won her first set 6-2, but dropped her second, 6-3.

Henriksen fell 14-12 in a match tiebreaker in the third set.

In the third-place match, Henriksen found herself in a three-set dual again. Facing Edgewood, she won her first set 6-3 and lost her second 6-3. Into the third set she went, where she earned a 10-8 match tiebreak victory to claim the third-place prize.

Additional details

DeForest’s Lillian (Lilly) Henriksen placed third at No. 2 singles at the 2026 Badger-Conference girls’ tennis tournament over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Emersyn Meek (No. 3 singles) and Lauren Koeller (No. 4 singles) each placed fourth.

Meek’s four-match run began with back-to-back wins over Portage (6-1, 6-1) and Baraboo (6-3, 6-2) in the first and second rounds. Meek fell 6-2, 6-1 to Edgewood in the semifinals before falling in three sets to Sauk Prairie in her third-place match.

Meek dropped her first set 6-2, but responded with a 7-6 (4) victory in the second to push the match to a third and final set, where she lost 10-8.

As for Koeller, she notched a double-bagel victory (6-0, 6-0) in her first-round match against Portage before handling Oregon (6-3, 6-1) to punch her ticket to the semifinal match. There, she lost 6-3, 6-1 to Edgewood. In the third-place match, she fell to Waunakee in two sets (6-3, 6-4).

Facing No. 1 singles was Lillian Krieg. In the loaded singles bracket, Krieg defeated Monona Grove (6-0, 6-1) in her first round. Her run at the conference tournament concluded in the second round, where she fell to Edgewood (6-3, 6-2).

Now, DeForest will quickly shift their focus toward the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) State Tournament. First up are subsectionals, beginning on Monday, Oct. 5, at Sun Prairie West High School.

2026 Badger Conference Tennis Tournament Team Scores: Waunakee 41, Edgewood 38, DeForest 32, Baraboo 24, Sauk Prairie 17, Oregon 14, Stoughton 12, McFarland 10, Milton 10, Monona Grove 9, Fort Atkinson/Cambridge 4, Beaver Dam 2, Reedsburg 2, Watertown 2, Portage 0.