MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Milwaukee tennis team defeated the Valparaiso Crusaders 5-2 Saturday afternoon from River Glen Elite. With the win, the Panthers have now won back-to-back duals.
 
Up and down the lineup, Milwaukee played tough to earn the W over the Crusaders. MKE improves to 3-2 with the win, while Valparaiso drops to 3-2 on the season.
 
"The doubles point was huge for us today," said Panther head coach Jason Potthoff. "We played with a lot of energy and executed really well to get that 1-0 start. "Coley (Nicole Clarke) and Nikki (Milner) earning straight set singles wins to put us up 3-1 applied some scoreboard pressure on Valpo, and then we had some incredibly gutsy, three-set battles to get us over the line. Tomorrow is going to be a very tough test, so we'll need to keep ourselves focused on thinking, saying, and doing the right things."
 
To earn the doubles point, the Panthers lost just two games combined from the No. 2 and 3 line. Mayya Perova and Anika Tylek finished first winning 6-1, while Anna Daniel Fuentes and Agata Jurczak finished right behind with identical results.
 
With the early lead, Clarke and Milner increased MKE's lead to 3-1 by winning their singles matches in straight sets. Clarke remains undefeated so far this season at 5-0, while Milner improves to 4-1.
 
The Panthers clinched the match after Fuentes and Tylek fought hard in each of their respective matches. Both went to three sets, but it was MKE who came out on top. Fuentes defeated Valpo's Isabella  Schoolcraft 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and Tylek won 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 over Demi Jhaveri.
 
Milwaukee will wrap up the weekend with a Sunday matinee against Chicago State. The Panthers and Cougars are set to square off at 1 p.m. from River Glen Elite.