MILWAUKEE, Wis. – After a break from competitive action this fall, the Milwaukee tennis team springs back into action against Cardinal Stritch and Eastern Illinois beginning Friday, January 24.
WHEN & WHERE: The Panthers will open the 2020 season at home vs. Cardinal Stritch, Friday at 1 p.m. at River Glen Elite. The team will then follow-up against Eastern Illinois in Aurora, Ill., at the Vaughan Athletic Center. The all-panthers dual will begin at 4 p.m.
THE SQUAD: Head coach
Jason Potthoff enters his third season at the helm with a full team that consists of six returners and one newcomer. MKE is coming off its best seasons since 2014, where the team finished 2019 at 13-10, 6-3 and earning a conference tournament bid and regular season fourth-place finish.
The Panthers lost just one to graduation in Alexandra Belle who's experience and leadership will be missed. Belle finished 15-8, 5-4, and combined for a 19-3 doubles record.
Headlining this year's roster is 2019 Horizon League Freshman of the Year,
Mayya Perova. Perova finished 13-8, 6-3 in singles and a school best 22-2 doubles record. Perova teamed up with Belle and
Nicole Clarke as the black & gold's No. 1 doubles team.
Nicole Clarke and
Anna Daniel Fuentes return for their fourth and final year. The duo combined for 26 single wins, while also adding 24 wins in doubles.
Rounding out the roster, the Panthers return
Lucy Harper,
Agata Jurczak,
Nikki Milner and sophomore transfer
Anika Tylek.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
EASTERN ILLINOIS: EIU return veteran Rachel Papavasilopoulos who finished the 2019 year with a 19-3 record and 7-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. She was also named OVC Women's Tennis Player of the year, and won 15-19 matches in straight sets during the year. In the OVC women's tennis preseason player top 10 list, Papavasilopoulos was pre-season ranked No. 1.
As a team, the Panthers were preseason ranked eighth of nine teams, but have gotten off to a quick start in 2020 entering Saturday's match with a 4-1 record with wins over Alcorn State, LSU Alexandria, Mississippi Valley State and Grambling State. EIU will face Illinois State Friday, before the dual vs. MKE.
CARDINAL STRITCH: A season ago, the Wolves clinched a bid to the NAIA National Championships after claiming the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The team made it to the second round before falling to Middle George State. The Pack concluded the season with a 15-7, 7-0 record.
The Wolves return 2019 CCAC Player of the Year, Lisa Keller, and All-Conference players Klara Smolikova, Kimmy Tait, Antonia Elze, Chelsea Kelly and Assya Trimari.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS: The Panthers host nine dual matches this season, including four Horizon League Opponents at River Glen Elite.
NEXT WEEK: Milwaukee will cover half of Illinois as the team travels to Northern Illinois Saturday, Feb. 1 for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Huskies. The team will then turn around and host Western Illinois the next day. First set is set for 1 p.m. against the Leathernecks.
