The Milwaukee women’s tennis team achieved a significant milestone by securing their first-ever victory over Marquette. The match concluded with a narrow 4-3 win for the Panthers at Sprovieri Tennis Complex.
Milwaukee, holding a record of 3-2, won the doubles point against Marquette, which stands at 1-4. The decisive moment came when Emilia Durska clinched a three-set comeback victory, marking the program’s inaugural triumph over their city rivals.
“I am so proud of the team,” expressed head coach Mark Goldin. “Marquette is always a battle and we really enjoy playing them. Their players and coaching staff are very respectful and we enjoy the battle. This has been a local rivalry for years and we have always been getting one step closer. We were able to make history today and we could not be happier.”
Marquette faced challenges due to injuries affecting their roster. In doubles, Laure Razet and Sara Simonova defeated Aiyana Abbott and Elena Duva 6-4, providing an early lead for Milwaukee. Nadiia Konieva and Nikola Nikolajeva were tied at 5-5 in their match when it was left unfinished as the doubles point was already secured.
In singles play, Milwaukee initially took control with Nikolajeva winning decisively against Emma Davis at No. 2 singles with scores of 6-1, 6-1.
Marquette responded by winning matches at positions #3 and #4. At No. 1 singles, Konieva lost in three sets after an intense battle with scores of 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
Durska’s performance at No. 5 provided a crucial highlight for Milwaukee as she overturned an initial set loss to win her match with scores of 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
The series between these two teams dates back to 1990 but had recently seen closely contested encounters. Three out of the last four meetings ended with similar close results before this breakthrough victory in their latest encounter.
Following this achievement against Marquette, Milwaukee maintains an unbeaten record against Big East opponents this season (2-0). Next on their schedule is an away match against the University of Chicago on Friday evening starting at 5 p.m.
