OMAHA, Neb. – The Milwaukee women's tennis team claimed the doubles point in thrilling fashion but was unable to find the same magic in singles play, falling to Omaha Saturday afternoon at the Miracle Hill Tennis Center by a final score of 4-1.
 
The Panthers (4-5) fought out of a huge hole to start the day up against the Mavericks (3-5), only to see the home team rebound and take the first four points of singles to claim the victory and wrap up the match.
 
Alice Shields and Iva Stejskalova made quick work of Keegan VanPelt and Brooke Covington by a final score of 6-2 in the first completed doubles match.
 
At No. 1 doubles, Babette Burgersdijk and Sara Simonova found themselves down 4-0, only to rally and claim the impressive 6-4 victory over Omaha's Jessica Aragon and Ines Abdidan.
 
"Today was a tale of two matches for us," head coach Ryan Kucera said. "The doubles point was fantastic. We were playing with passion and purpose on every court. Babette and Sara were so tough, coming back from down 4-0 to clinch the point. They didn't panic, kept their focus, and went to work. A brave and committed team performance to take that point."
 
Hoping to carry over into singles action, the Panthers could never get going. The Mavericks took victories in straight sets at 1, 2, 3, and 5 to claim the turnaround decision.
 
"We were not able to find the best versions of ourselves on the singles court today," Kucera said. "Omaha's response was formidable. They brought great energy and played aggressively, and we didn't match that. In those moments, we must make the hard choices that are necessary to dig in and match what our opponent is bringing. We also must face challenges together, instead of trying to take them on as individuals. Tennis is an individual sport, but college tennis is about the ability to fight as one from all six courts. We did that in the doubles point and we see the result, but in singles we lost our focus on what's truly important."
 
There will not be much time to right the ship, with MKE playing again Sunday morning. The team makes the stop at Creighton to battle the Bluejays at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
 
"This team wants to be great; I could see it in their eyes after the match," Kucera said. "They have that burning desire to be the best they can be. We learned important lessons today, now it's about being able to commit to the changes and be fearless to go out and embrace our next challenges together."
 
Nebraska Omaha 4, Milwaukee Panthers 1

Singles competition
1. Jessica Aragon (OMAHA) def. Babette Burgersdijk (MKE) 6-4, 6-3
2. Zoe Adkins (OMAHA) def. Anika Tylek (MKE) 6-3, 6-0
3. Ines Abdidan (OMAHA) def. Iva Stejskalova (MKE) 6-3, 6-0
4. Addison Miller (OMAHA) vs. Nadiia Konieva (MKE) 4-6, 3-4, unfinished
5. Keegan VanPelt (OMAHA) def. Alice Shields (MKE) 6-3, 6-1
6. Brooke Covington (OMAHA) vs. Sara Simonova (MKE) 6-3, 3-5, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Babette Burgersdijk/Sara Simonova (MKE) def. Jessica Aragon/Ines Abdidan (OMAHA) 6-4
2. Alice Shields/Iva Stejskalova (MKE) def. Keegan VanPelt/Brooke Covington (OMAHA) 6-2
3. Zoe Adkins/Addison Miller (OMAHA) vs. Nadiia Konieva/Giorgia Cavestro (MKE) 5-5, unfinished