MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee tennis team won its second Horizon League match of the season in celebratory fashion, scoring an impressive 4-3 victory over Northern Kentucky Sunday afternoon from Elite – River Glen.
Tied at three points each, the match came down to the final singles dual between MKE's
Avery Durham and NKU's Ananya Kothakota. Down one set after falling 6-2 in the first set, Durham rallied and gritted out the final two sets, 7-6 (2), 7-5 to clinch the match for Milwaukee. With the win, the Panthers improve to 7-10, 2-0 HL while Northern Kentucky drops to 2-8, 0-2 HL.
"This team continues to show how much they are willing to sacrifice and leave it all on the court in order to give us a chance to win," said Panther head coach
Jason Potthoff. "We were strong in the doubles again, and that's something that we expect of ourselves every match. In the singles, Northern Kentucky threw everything they had at us, and we had to really dig deep to get to four today. We gave ourselves a chance on every court, and it just ended up being Avery's turn to be the hero today. When we play smart and combine that with the heart we showed today, we can dominate; it's just a matter of being ready for the moment."
The Panthers earned a key point clinching the doubles point to start the match. Senior duo
Nikki Milner and
Anika Tylek won 6-3, while
Mayya Perova and Durham gave MKE the 1-0 advantage with a 6-3 victory of their own.
Back from injury, MKE's
Iva Stejskalova tallied the second point for Milwaukee earning a 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Northern Kentucky's Elizabeth Rozin from the No. 3 singles line.
Tylek finished 2-0 on the weekend in singles, picking up a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Sonia Tandelova.
Last but not least, Durham gave it her all to in an exciting three-set win that included a second set tiebreaker over Kothakota, 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, to secure a Panther win.
The Panthers will look to move to 3-0 in league play as Milwaukee hosts defending Horizon League champions, UIC next Saturday, April 9. The dual between the Panthers and Flames is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Elite – River Glen in Milwaukee.
