Kucera Announces Fall Schedule & Newcomers
 
MILWAUKEE – The Kucera era with the Milwaukee tennis program will kickstart with four competitive tournaments across the Midwest this fall. The Panthers will travel to Indiana, Iowa, Michigan with one in-state tournament in Wisconsin.
 
Milwaukee will begin with a trip to Ball State late September for the two-day Bethany Moore Classic. Then in October, the Panthers will compete in the Warhawk Invitational hosted by UW-Whitewater and then head to Iowa for the Bulldog Hidden Duals a couple weeks later. The fall season will wrap up at Western Michigan for the Western Michigan University Invite on November 11.
 
"Our fall competition schedule presents us with great opportunities, and I am thrilled to get out on the court," said head coach Ryan Kucera. "I am especially looking forward to a semester of growth, of competing relentlessly, and learning to play aggressive, confidents tennis as a team."
 
In addition to four fall tournaments, the Black & Gold add three freshmen and a graduate transfer to the 2022-23 roster. This year's class includes Anouk Ma-Ajong, Nadiia Konieva, Alice Shields, and Sara Simonova.
 
Anouk Ma-Ajong comes in with four years of tennis experience from Saint Francis. Ma-Ajong appeared in 14 matches at the No. 2-3 singles line, and 16 matches in doubles play her senior season.
 
Kucera on Ma-Ajong: "Not only is Anouk a smart player and a great athlete, but Anouk also brings extensive leadership experience. From her time as a captain at Saint Francis, she knows how to compete at the college level extremely well."
 
From Ukraine, Nadiia Konieva will now don the Black & Gold as one-of-three freshman, while Alice Shields (Lymm, England) and Sara Simonova (Brno, Czech Republic) round out this year's class.
 
Kucera on Konieva: "Nadiia is an incredible ball striker. She plays explosively from all areas of the court, and her backhand is a huge weapon. She also has both international competition experience and team competition experience."
 
Kucera on Shields: "Alice is a lefty with a great offensive game. Her serve and forehand are both weapons that she has great confidence with. She has experience playing both singles and doubles, as well as in elite team competitions, which is critical."
 
Kucera on Simonova: "Sara is a very tactical player who possess a diverse skill set. This allows her to thrive in both singles and doubles. She also has had a ton of international competition experience, which will help her transition greatly."
 
The Panthers report September 6 and will begin the fall season at the Bethany Moore Tournament on September 23.