Panthers Face Tough Tests In Ohio Road Swing

Milwaukee plays Cleveland State Saturday, Youngstown State Sunday

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's tennis team hits the road for the first time in nearly a month with a pair of tough matches in Northeast Ohio this weekend, starting Saturday.

UWM will take on league-leading Cleveland State Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Central Time before a Sunday 11 a.m. Central contest at Youngstown State. The match against the Penguins was originally scheduled for 8 a.m. but was moved outdoors due to the nice weather in the projected forecast.

Strong Start
Milwaukee is off to a solid start this season, sitting at 9-8 in the spring season. While there is still work to be done, that is a significant improvement from last year's 5-12 start through the first 17 matches.

Climbing The Charts
The Milwaukee record book as been under assault the past few seasons, with all 15 school records being set in the past five seasons.

That has not changed this season, as quite a few top-10 performances have already been set, highlighted by freshman Laurie Clark's 22 wins so far this season. The school record is 25, achieved by three Panthers, including current junior Alysa Straub during her freshman season.

About Cleveland State
The Vikings have been one of the top teams in the Horizon League the past few years. Milwaukee and Cleveland State shared the league's regular season title in 2014.

This year, CSU sits tied atop the league record board with a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play. There have been some close matches for the Vikings, who have beaten Youngstown State, Detroit and Wright State in close, 4-3 decisions.

Cleveland State has a deep and very versatile lineup, with Victoria Bensimon leading the way at a perfect 5-0 in conference play, all from the No. 5 spot. Five different players have recorded double-digit wins on the season, with Aleksandra Golawska notching 10 of those in spring action – all at the bottom half of the table.

About Youngstown State
The Penguins are also right near the top of the conference standings heading into the weekend, sitting at 4-1 with their lone loss coming to in-state rival Cleveland State last weekend.

Annina Brendel leads the team with a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play, all from the No. 2 spot. YSU is just 5-8 overall in doubles play since league play started, with no pairing recording more than two wins thus far.

The Penguins will play host to Green Bay Saturday before Sunday's match against Milwaukee.

Follow Along
Fans can follow Milwaukee tennis and get updates from the team on Twitter (@MKE_Tennis) or on Facebook by searching Milwaukee Panther Tennis.

Up Next
Milwaukee wraps up the regular season next weekend with one final road trip – this one to southern Ohio to take on Wright State and Northern Kentucky.

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Players Mentioned

Alysa Straub: Junior

Laurie Clark: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alysa Straub
: Junior

Laurie Clark
: Freshman