MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Meeting for the first time in six years, the Milwaukee tennis team will travel to Butler for a dual Saturday. The match will be held at the Butler Bubble and is set to being at 10 a.m. (CT).
 
WHEN & WHERE: Butler will host its first home match of the 2018-19 campaign Saturday against the Panthers. The Butler Bubble is home to the Bulldog men's and women's tennis teams and is used as an indoor practice facility for the baseball, football and soccer teams as well.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: Big East's Butler Bulldogs currently sit at 2-4 after splitting a pair of duals against Valparaiso and DePaul last weekend.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 9-17, (2-4 Big East) 2017-18 campaign with interim head coach Matt Moore at the helm. Moore served as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs last season replacing Tayo Bailey who accepted a head coaching position at another university after six seasons with the Bulldogs.
 
Butler's roster highlights sophomore Emily Neal and junior Nina Bertino. Neal recorded a 17-15 singles record in 2017-18 and saw majority of action at No. 3. In doubles, Neal finished with an 8-13 doubles record.
 
Bertino, who saw time at the No. 2-5 positions in singles,  finished last season with a 15-16 singles record, and currently leads the Bulldogs with a 10-3 overall record this season.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS: Up until six years ago, the Panthers and Bulldogs met up every year since Milwaukee added tennis in 1991. The last time the two teams met back on April 14, 2012, Milwaukee defeated Butler by a score of 6-1.  
 
LAST TIME OUT: Last weekend, the Panthers split the weekend picking up its first win of the season over the Omaha Mavericks, 5-2.
 
Against Northern Illinois, the Panthers dropped another close match, 4-3, but rebounded back the next day to beat the Mavericks.
 
Duo Alexandra Belle and Mayya Perova had a successful weekend with a perfect 2-0 sweep on the weekend at the No. 1 line. Belle and Perova battled Huskies' No. 1 to a 7-5 (5) victory, and won handedly the following day 6-2 in defeating the Mavericks.
 
Junior Nicole Clarke also went a perfect 2-0 on the weekend. Clarke split time between the No. 4 and 3 positions and came out on top each day.
 
SPEAKING OF SWEEPS: For the week of Jan. 28, MKE swept the Horizon League Tennis weekly awards. Earning Doubles Team of the Week, Belle and Perova teamed up for the third time this season and continue to play well together. In winning both of their matches, the duo remain 3-0 on the season together.
 
In singles, Nicole Clarke also remains undefeated so far this season. Clarke racked up two more wins last weekend to earn league Singles Player of the Week. With the two wins, Clarke improves her overall record to 3-0 on the season.
 
NEXT UP: MKE will jump back on the road next weekend to face Chicago State (Feb. 9) and Valparaiso (Feb. 10). The dual at Chicago Sate is slated for a 3 p.m. start time, while the Panthers and Crusaders will begin at 11 a.m. (CT).