MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's tennis team rolled through doubles to set the pace in claiming a 6-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus Saturday afternoon at River Glen Elite.
 
The Panthers (3-4) quickly took care of business against the Gusties (0-1), sweeping all three doubles courts to grab the 1-0 advantage. The good play carried over into singles action, with a retirement (while ahead) the only blemish on a well-played afternoon.
 
"Great team effort today," head coach Ryan Kucera said. "I thought the doubles point started a bit slow, but once we got settled, we played smart, controlled doubles. We were able to focus on tactics and placement and get the looks we wanted. When we pulled ahead, the team really flipped a switch and went after it, locking down the point for us emphatically."
 
Babette Burgersdijk and Sara Simonova topped Allison Szalay and Halle Rosentreter by a final score of 6-3 and that was the closest it would come in doubles action. The duos of Alice Shields/Iva Stejskalova and Nadiia Konieva/Giorgia Cavestro each claimed 6-2 decisions.
 
Singles was Panther-heavy as well, with Cavestro dominating Lili Elofson at No. 6, 6-1, 6-1, for the biggest victory. Burgersdijk (at No. 1) and Anouk Ma-Ajong (No. 5) each claimed 6-2, 6-2 decisions.
 
"In singles I was impressed with our focus," Kucera said. "We were forced to play a bit more patiently today, but the team did well to play within our structure, exercise patience, but also be ready to take opportunities when they arose. We had some moments where we lost focus, but patient teams will do that to you. We must give a lot of credit to Gustavus, they have an immense history within their program, and they know how to compete and how to win. Each time they made a push, we were able to respond and dig in with our fundamentals and tactics. Fantastic day overall, great to have such a strong result after the consistent improvements the team has been making on both the practice and competition courts. We are excited for another opportunity and challenge tomorrow against EIU."
 
Anika Tylek battled to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Yuki Oda at #2, while Shields topped Molly Austin 6-4, 6-4. Simonova claimed the first set but had to retire, allowing Gustavus to avoid the shutout.
 
Up next, the team is right back at it, welcoming Eastern Illinois to town Sunday at 1 p.m. from River Glen Elite.
 
Milwaukee Panthers 6, Gustavus Adolphus 1
Singles competition
1. Babette Burgersdijk (MKE) def. Allison Szalay (GAC) 6-2, 6-2
2. Anika Tylek (MKE) def. Yuki Oda (GAC) 6-4, 6-3
3. Halle Rosentreter (GAC) def. Sara Simonova (MKE) 2-6, 3-2, retired
4. Alice Shields (MKE) def. Molly Austin (GAC) 6-4, 6-4
5. Anouk Ma-Ajong (MKE) def. Brooke Haddorff (GAC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Giorgia Cavestro (MKE) def. Lili Elofson (GAC) 6-1, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Babette Burgersdijk/Sara Simonova (MKE) def. Allison Szalay/Halle Rosentreter (GAC) 6-3
2. Alice Shields/Iva Stejskalova (MKE) def. Yuki Oda/Molly Austin (GAC) 6-2
3. Nadiia Konieva/Giorgia Cavestro (MKE) def. Brooke Haddorff/Lili Elofson (GAC) 6-2