Feb. 18, 2011

Results

WATERLOO, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's tennis team opened a busy weekend of action with a 4-3 win over North Dakota Friday night.

The Panthers (3-1) dropped the doubles point but bounced back in singles play.

UWM has now won three of its first four matches of the season for the first time since 2007-08 and for just the second time in the last 13 seasons.

Maddy Soule helped spark the Panthers in singles action, claiming a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Erin Kappers in the top spot. Megan Gow (fourth slot), Brittany Skemp (fifth) and Kristin Kurer (sixth) then added singles wins to push UWM over the top.

"We are finding ways to win matches against good teams, which is a sign of how far this team has come," UWM head coach Sean McInerney said. "Every match someone different seems to step up and secure the victory. Today it was Megan Gow who beat a very good player at four singles that really took it to us last season at two singles. I was really impressed with how confident she played and it was the most complete match I have seen her play since taking over the program."

In doubles action, Kurer and Sammi Schoen teamed up for a win at number three doubles but Milwaukee fell in the other two contests.

"Losing the doubles point again is a growing concern," McInerney said. "We are not going to be able to keep bailing ourselves out by winning four singles matches when we get into conference play. We are going to have to find the right combinations and increase our intensity in doubles to compete with the top programs."

North Dakota beat Milwaukee last season and was 2-0 entering play this weekend.

"North Dakota is a very solid team and it was a good win for our program," McInerney said. "They really handled us rather easily last season and I think it was important to us to avenge that lose. They were better than last season with multiple players moving down the lineup while adding some really good freshmen."

UWM will now face Northern Iowa in Waterloo Saturday before taking on Wisconsin and Western Illinois in Madison Sunday.