The Milwaukee women's tennis team will play for the first time in 2026 this weekend, heading to Madison for the season opener Saturday before staying for a neutral-site matchup Sunday. The Panthers open the spring slate Saturday at Wisconsin before a quick turnaround to take on Harvard Sunday morning.
 
Saturday's matchup against the Badgers starts at 5 p.m., with the Sunday affair getting underway at 8:30 a.m. against the Crimson. Both will be contested at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, with live statistics being provided in the dual against UW. Live video will be available for all matches and the links are available on the MKE tennis website.
 
Third-year head coach Mark Goldin and his team had to battle through and overcome numerous injuries a year ago, finishing with an 8-17 overall mark that yielded a strong finish - knocking off third-seeded Oakland in the Horizon League Championships before falling in the semifinals to eventual league champion YSU. The Panthers also added a historic result, posting MKE's first-ever win over Marquette with a 4-3 decision in February. The team is also coming off a very successful fall campaign, finishing with cumulative records of 24-15 as a team in singles action for the fall and 18-9 in doubles play.
 
Goldin is a fixture in the Milwaukee tennis community and was named the head coach of the Panthers in August, 2023, following a very successful run as the head coach at Cardinal Stritch University and as the assistant general manager at Elite Sports Club in Mequon.

No stranger to the Panthers, Goldin served as an assistant with the program from 2009 through 2012, helping the team improve from near the bottom of the league standings to a Top-3 program in his time. In fact, MKE went from five team wins, 39 individual wins and a 2-6 conference record in his first year to 13 team wins, 126 individual wins and a 6-2 Horizon League record for third place, the best in school history at the time.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Milwaukee is 0-7 all-time against the Badgers, with a 7-0 UW win in 2023 the first meeting in the series since 2018. The Panthers also dropped a 4-0 decision a year ago.
 
The Badgers are 2-1 on the season, defeating Missouri and Northern Illinois by identical 7-0 scorelines Jan. 16 before falling to No. 20 USC, 4-3, Jan. 23. UW will also take on Harvard Saturday at noon before welcoming the Panthers. The team opened up its regular season unranked by the ITA but individually Maria Sholokhova (19-2 a year ago) opened the spring ranked No. 47 in singles, while the doubles duo of Sholokhova and Lucie Urbanova debuted at No. 5. 
 
Marek Michalicka, one of the most decorated players in Wisconsin men's tennis history, was named head coach of the Badger women's tennis program in August 2025. He spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, helping the Badgers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while contributing to player development, recruiting, and program operations. His coaching experience includes two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State and a stint as a volunteer assistant with the Michigan men's tennis program.

The team enters Saturday as a strong and well-rounded squad coming off a successful 2024-25 season. They posted an impressive record of 19-6 overall, finishing fourth in the Big Ten with a solid 10-3 conference mark. Their performance carried them into the postseason, where they competed in the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the later rounds before the season concluded.
 
Harvard and Milwaukee will be meeting for the first-ever time on the tennis courts. The Crimson enter the 2025–26 season with strong momentum from a historic 2025 campaign. The team is currently 2-1 following victories over Niagara (6-1 Jan. 23) and Boston (4-1 Jan. 25).
 
Last season, Harvard compiled a 15-9 overall record while dominating Ivy League competition, completing conference play undefeated at 7-0 and claiming the Ivy League championship for the first time since 2017. The Crimson closed the year with seven straight victories, secured the regular-season Ivy title with decisive wins over Yale, Columbia, and Cornell, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Their strong finish included a perfect Ivy mark that hadn't been seen in nearly two decades and contributed to continued recognition in the ITA polls.

ROSTER MAKEUP
The current roster comes from an extensive background of eight different countries and will consist of seven returners, one sophomore transfer, and one freshman. Leading the way for the returners is Nadiia Konieva, who last season was named All-Horizon League Second Team following a campaign in which she stepped up to play No. 1 singles as well as continuing her role as a part of the No. 1 doubles squad. Konieva led the Panthers in doubles victories with 16 and finished just one off the team lead in total victories with 25 (nine singles wins).
 
Emilia Durska concluded the campaign with a 14-13 singles record and a 12-18 doubles ledger, with her 26 total victories tied for the team lead. Durska competed from No. 2 through No. 5 in singles play and No. 2/No. 3 in doubles. Nikola Nikolajeva put together a stellar first season with the Panthers, tying for the overall team lead in victories with 26. She finished with a 12-10 record in singles play as well as a 14-9 mark in doubles action, which was played mostly at No. 2 singles and the majority of the year at No. 1 doubles before an injury slowed her near the end of the spring slate.

FALL FESTIVITIES
The team is coming off a very successful fall 2025 campaign, competing at the Gopher Invitational, the Warhawk Fall Invite, and the Horizon League Individual Championships. Newcomer Nel Van Hout led the way, combining for 18 victories – going 8-1 in singles and 10-2 in doubles action. Emilia Durska was second with 12 total wins (4 singles/8 doubles). Nadiia Konieva and Nikola Nikolajeva were each 5-2 in singles, while Sara Simonova was 7-2 in doubles.
 
The Panthers went 24-15 as a team in singles action for the fall; 18-9 in doubles play.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers have been very solid at home of late, going 31-18 over the past five-plus years, including a 10-3 mark in 2021.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will host a pair of home matches to jump headfirst into the 2026 campaign, welcoming Chicago State Tuesday and Illinois State Saturday. Sunday brings a third consecutive opponent from Illinois, traveling to Northern Illinois Sunday. Action Tuesday and Saturday takes place at River Glen Elite, the home of MKE Tennis, which is located at 2001 Good Hope Road in Milwaukee (53209), a half-mile west of I-43 between River Hills and Glendale.