The Milwaukee women's tennis team is set to face in-state rivals this weekend, aiming to maintain their strong start to the season. With a 2-0 record, the Panthers will compete in three matches, beginning with the University of Wisconsin on Friday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison. The match against the Badgers has been rescheduled to 9 a.m.
Following their game against Wisconsin, Milwaukee will face Northern Illinois later that day at noon, contingent on the completion of the prior match. Live statistics and video streams for these matches will be available through links posted on the MKE website.
The weekend concludes with a match against Marquette at Sprovieri Tennis Complex in Milwaukee on Sunday at 11 a.m., where live statistics will also be accessible online.
Milwaukee's history against these teams presents challenges. They are 0-7 all-time against Wisconsin, who have split matches this season against top-ranked teams and feature standout players like Maria Sholokhova and Aline Mukhortova. The Badgers' head coach Kelcy McKenna is entering her ninth season following a successful previous year.
Against Northern Illinois, Milwaukee holds a 4-14 record. The Huskies have started strong this season under fifth-year head coach Eric Burns. Their recent victories include sweeping both Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois.
Marquette remains unbeaten in their series with Milwaukee over two decades. Despite close contests recently, including last year's narrow loss by Milwaukee, Marquette leads under Jud Shaufler's direction.
Last week saw Milwaukee achieve notable victories over Bradley and Providence, marking their first win over a Big East team since 2007. Nadiia Konieva and Nikola Nikolajeva were recognized as Under Armour Horizon League Tennis Doubles Team of the Week for their performances.
Second-year head coach Mark Goldin leads the Panthers with high expectations after being selected third in the Horizon League preseason poll. Goldin brings experience from his time as an assistant with Milwaukee and as head coach at Cardinal Stritch University.
The current roster features players from seven countries, including five returners led by Nadiia Konieva who had an impressive singles record last season. This fall saw success for newcomers like freshman Nikola Nikolajeva alongside Konieva in doubles play.
Milwaukee's home performance has been strong recently, boasting a 29-13 record over four-plus years. After this weekend's matches, they will travel to play at the University of Chicago next Friday night.
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