WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 2021 Milwaukee tennis season came to a close Saturday afternoon, as the Panthers fell to No. 2 seed Youngstown State, 4-0, in the Horizon League Championship Semifinals at the Schwartz Tennis Center hosted by Purdue.
 
"We didn't play well in doubles, but everyone put together a great effort in singles," said Panther head coach Jason Potthoff. "We had an opportunity to take the first set on every singles court and if we had gotten four first sets instead of two that might have made a big difference. Anna and Greta really played well from start to finish and it's unfortunate that we couldn't have held off the clinch a little longer, because Anna was at match point and Greta needed a few more minutes to close hers out."
 
Youngstown got off to a strong start in winning the doubles point from the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles line, but despite the 1-0 deficit, Milwaukee looked to turn it around in singles.
 
The Panthers jumped out to a quick lead in the first set on four of the six singles courts, but were unable to close it out.
 
YSU earned the next two points by winning at the No. 5 and 6 singles lines. Panthers' Anika Tylek and Agata Jurczak had hard-fought first sets, but ultimately fell 6-4, 6-1 and 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 respectively.
 
Senior Anna Daniel Fuentes was up 6-4, 5-3 and a point away from clinching her match, but the match remained unfinished as the Penguins clinched the match with a win from the No. 4 line.
 
Freshly crowned league Freshman of the Year, Greta Carbone was also leading 7-5, 4-3 from the No. 1 line over YSU's Tamara Teufl before the match was called.
 
The Panthers finished the season with a 14-8, 7-5 record, and a earned a spot into the Horizon League tournament for the second time in three years. The 14 wins marks a new school record for most team wins in a single season. The record had been held at 13 which was last reached back in the 2019 season when the Panthers finished 13-10, 6-3 HL – Potthoff's second season with the Black & Gold.
 
Senior Anna Daniel Fuentes also reached a milestone by tallying 13 wins overall in singles play.
 
As for awards, Greta Carbone served up an impressive freshman campaign by earning league Freshman of the Year and First-Team honors with a 16-4, 10-2 HL overall record. The Milan native was also named league Singles Player of the Week for the week of February 24.
 
Mayya Perova and Nikki Milner also earned league recognition twice throughout the season as Doubles Team of the Week for the weeks of February 24 and March 11, while Greta Carbone and Nikki Milner (April 21) and Anna Daniel Fuentes and Agata Jurczak (April 28) earned the league honor the final two weeks of the regular season.
 
The Panthers will lose three from the roster to graduation this spring: Anna Daniel Fuentes, Lucy Harper and Agata Jurczak – all who played pivotal roles in turning the program around.
 
"In the end, this team accomplished some really amazing things, and I'll always be grateful for their contributions to Milwaukee Tennis, especially our seniors, Lucy, Agata, and Anna," Potthoff closed.