MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee tennis team will close out non-conference play this Saturday and will host the Valparaiso Beacons at 1 p.m. from River Glen – Elite.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Panthers ended a six week road schedule with a single dual against SIUE last weekend, falling to the hot swinging Cougars, 5-2. Milwaukee earned the doubles point, getting wins from No. 1 Greta Carbone and Iva Stejskalova and No. 3 Anika Tylek and Nikki Milner. Both duo's found themselves down early in the match, but battled back to win the point. Freshman Avery Durham picked up the second point for the Panthers, and earned her seventh singles victory of the season.
 
SCOUTING THE BEACONS: Valpo enters the match against the Panthers with a 6-8 overall record, and have lost the six previous matches. Common opponents include a 5-2 loss to SIUE, a 6-1 loss to Eastern Michigan, and were swept 7-0 to both Western Michigan and Butler. The Beacons, however, defeated fellow Horizon League foe, IUPUI, 5-2 back on January 15.
 
The Beacons are led by the Czerwonka sisters, Claire and Olivia. The two are combined for 13 wins in dual play with a 7-7 and 7-6 dual record. Olivia has competed primarily from the No. 1 singles position, while Claire has been at the No. 2 line consistently throughout the season. The sisters also hold an 11-1 doubles record together.
 
CURRENT LEAGUE STANDINGS: With conference play right around the corner, here's how the rest of the conference has fared so far:

1. UIC                                          8-3
2. Oakland                                   6-4
3. Youngstown State                   6-8
4. Cleveland State                       6-9
5. Milwaukee                              5-9
6. Northern Kentucky                 2-4
7. IUPUI                                       1-12

 
SEASON AWARDS: This week, Mayya Perova was tabbed Horizon League Singles Player of the Week for her performances over Chicago State and Whitewater. The senior star went 2-0, dropped just four games combined, and improved to 12-1.
 
Sophomore doubles duo Greta Carbone and Iva Stejskalova have also collected the league's Doubles Team of the Week accolade twice this season.
 
TENNIS VLOG to North Dakota: Ever curious what it's like to be on the road with the Milwaukee tennis team? Here's a firsthand look of what it was like to travel with the Panthers when they traveled to North Dakota.
 
View the YouTube video HERE
 
NEXT UP: The Panthers will begin league play next weekend and will host IUPUI and Northern Kentucky the weekend of April 2-3. Saturday, April 2 will serve as senior day as the Panthers will celebrate seniors Mayya Perova, Nikki Milner and Anika Tylek. Both matches will be played at Elite – River Glen with 1 p.m. start times.