Jan. 29, 2011

Results

MILWAUKEE - Senior Sammi Schoen pulled out a three-set victory at number-three singles to put the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee over the top in a 4-3 win over Northern Illinois Saturday night at LeClub.

The Panthers dropped the doubles point and two early singles matches before rallying for the win in their spring opener.

In fact, when Haley Dekkings beat Brittany Skemp at number-five singles, the Panthers were trailing 3-1. But Kelly Fritz and Maddy Soule wrapped up straight-set wins shortly thereafter before Schoen battled to a 7-5 win in her third set against Sara McLaughlin.

"Sammi was amazing tonight," UWM head coach Sean McInerney said. "She held up under tremendous pressure to win the match's deciding point. If I could hand-pick anyone to be in that situation, it would be her. She is such a great competitor and I was really happy for her that she could provide such an important win for our team."

McInerney was also pleased with how the team bounced back after a slow start in the match.

"I am really proud of how our team hung in there against a deep NIU team," McInerney said. "We really struggled through the doubles point, but the team did a great job regrouping and winning four hard-fought singles matches. We are slowly starting to become a team that believes we can beat anyone on our schedule. This was a great first step and I can't wait to get back to work on Monday and get ready for IUPUI."

Kristin Kurer got UWM on the board with a 6-0, 6-2 win in the sixth singles slot before Fritz captured a straight-sets win in the second spot. Soule added a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Emily Rodgers in the top spot.

"I was really impressed with how well Kelly and Kristin played tonight," McInerney said. "Kelly was extremely patient and really played a smart and mature match. Kristin really played well for a first match of the spring for a freshman. She has been working really hard in practice and I am excited to watch her game grow throughout the season.

"Maddy's match was up and down and I give Emily a lot of credit for playing so well against her. But Maddy did a good job finding a way to win against a solid opponent and I am sure she will improve weekly."

UWM returns to action next Saturday, welcoming IUPUI to Pleasant Valley Tennis and Fitness in Jackson. The match will begin at approximately 3 p.m.