The Wildcats are preparing to face off in the semi-final of the WAC Championship on Friday afternoon. 

The WAC Women’s Tennis Tournament features a four-team bracket. The Wildcats will play alongside Tarleton State, UT Arlington, and Utah Tech. The tournament is single elimination, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday morning. 

After a 21-match season, three of those against conference opponents, the Wildcats are ready to begin the postseason. Head Coach Brian Rainwater said there have been an assortment of emotions for the team this week. 

“I think there’s been a mixture this week of nerves and excitement,” Rainwater said. “I think with an older team like this, they know what we have to do.”

The Wildcats feature a senior-heavy team this season, with four out of the seven players finishing their collegiate careers at ACU. Despite having so many players leaving at the end of the season, Rainwater is hopeful that the younger players will continue right where the seniors are now. 

“I think our four seniors have just done a great job of establishing the culture and really given us a good, cool foundation to move forward with,” Rainwater said. “You know the culture I want my team to be is a family, so I’m gonna miss the heck out of these kids.”

In preparation for the tournament, the team left for Arlington on Wednesday afternoon. The Wildcats, coming in at the second seed, will play against Utah Tech in the semifinal. The Trailblazers are the only WAC team that ACU did not face in the regular season.

Rainwater said the team is focused on what they need to do coming into the match. 

“Just being prepared for them to give us a battle on every single court and executing our game is really the goal,” Rainwater said.

The WAC champions will represent the conference at the NCAA Tournament early next month. But for now, Rainwater and the rest of the team are looking forward to their first match of the tournament.

“We know if we play well and we execute our game, we have a great shot to win the championship,” Rainwater said.

The Wildcats will take on the Trailblazers Friday at 1 p.m. with streams of each court available to watch on WAC International.