The Milwaukee Panthers women’s tennis team narrowly lost to St. Thomas 4-3 in a dual match held Sunday afternoon at River Glen Elite. The Panthers, who have a record of 3-6, started the day by winning the doubles point but could not hold off the Tommies, who secured victory on the final singles court.
Milwaukee claimed early momentum with strong doubles performances. The No. 1 pairing of Emilia Durska and Nel Van Hout defeated Emilia Korseth and Caroline Lindahl 6-2, while Nadiia Konieva and Sara Simonova won their match 6-3 to secure the team point.
Singles matches were closely contested throughout. Konieva won at No. 2 singles against Anna Sidorenko (6-3, 7-5), and senior Laure Razet returned from injury to win at No. 6 singles (6-4, 6-4). However, St. Thomas responded with wins at No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4 singles positions.
The decisive match came down to Honoka Yamashita at No. 5 singles against Else Vander Stichele. Despite serving for three match points in the third set, Yamashita was edged out as Vander Stichele prevailed 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
“The girls fought hard today,” head coach Mark Goldin said. “It was a fun battle, and, in the end, St. Thomas earned it by a few points. It was great to have senior Laure Razet back on court and get a win in her first singles match of the year.”
Goldin also commented on individual performances: “Nadiia won both singles and doubles and Honoka played a great match,” he said. “I am proud of the team on how hard it fought. The girls are really showing they enjoy the grind and love the pressure situations. We can’t wait to get back on court.”
The Panthers compete in NCAA Division I as part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s athletics program within the Horizon League based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (https://mkepanthers.com/sports/womens-tennis). The team participates in dual matches and tournaments while supporting student-athletes’ academic balance.
Next weekend Milwaukee will travel for matches against Northern Iowa on Friday and Western Illinois on Saturday.
