MILWAUKEE – Nel Van Hout outlasted Marta Halbersztadt at No. 2 singles to send the Milwaukee women's tennis team to a thrilling 4-3 victory over UIC Friday afternoon at River Glen Elite.
 
"This was another TEAM win," head coach Mark Goldin said. "So proud of the team – you can tell they are playing for each other and for the University – nobody is out here playing as an individual."
 
Van Hout helped the Panthers (3-5) snap what was a 12-match streak against the Flames (4-4), a stretch that dated back to 2014 when UIC was still a member of the Horizon League. The Flames were a dynasty, back then, claiming the league title every year from 1997 through 2013 as well as 19 times overall. In fact, at one point, the program put together a regular-season winning streak against league foes that reached 146 consecutive matches. Last year, they claimed the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
With the score on the day knotted up at 3-3, Van Hout delivered MKE the impressive victory, extending her winning streak in singles play this season to eight consecutive with the 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4) decision over Halbersztadt. The victory marks just the second win all-time for Milwaukee in the series.
 
"We are still missing key players, but not only did players step up, but also the injured players did everything in their power to help their teammates win by cheering them on," Goldin said. "We are playing some great tennis and looking forward to continue to improve each match until conference season begins." 
 
The day started with strong doubles play from the Panthers, who had to play in comeback mode after UIC picked up the first win at No. 3.
 
No worries for the team, who got a 6-2 decision at No. 2 from Nadiia Konieva and Sara Simonova and claimed the doubles point with an exciting 7-5 win at No. 1, where Van Hout and Emilia Durska came out on top against Nia Cooper and Stela Vlaisavljevic.
 
In singles play, the Panthers grabbed the first decision, with Durska prevailing, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3. The Flames then made it a new match with wins at No. 5 and No. 6 to pull even at 2-2 on the afternoon.
 
Konieva pulled out a tiebreak win in the first set and steamrolled through the second set at the top of the lineup, giving Milwaukee the 3-2 advantage with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 victory. The Flames struck next, earning the win at No. 4 to set the stage for at No. 2 singles to snap the long skid, with Van Hout improving to a near-perfect 14-1 overall on the school year with the victory.
 
The weekend at home continues, wrapping up Sunday when the Panthers host St. Thomas. Start time is scheduled for 11 a.m. from River Glen Elite.
 
Milwaukee 4, UIC 3
Singles competition
1. Nadiia Konieva (MKE) def. Edit Cosmo (UIC) 7-6 (7-5), 6-0
2. Nel Van Hout (MKE) def. Marta Halbersztadt (UIC) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4)
3. Emilia Durska (MKE) def. Dongke Liu (UIC) 6-1, 6-2
4. Anais Brion (UIC) def. Sara Simonova (MKE) 7-5, 6-4
5. Nia Cooper (UIC) def. Svava Schroeder (MKE) 6-3, 6-2
6. Charlotte Deletioglu (UIC) def. Honoka Yamashita (MKE) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Emilia Durska/Nel Van Hout (MKE) def. Nia Cooper/Stela Vlaisavljevic (UIC) 7-5
2. Nadiia Konieva/Sara Simonova (MKE) def. Dongke Liu/Edit Cosmo (UIC) 6-2
3. Marta Halbersztadt/Charlotte Deletioglu (UIC) def. Honoka Yamashita/Svava Schroeder (MKE) 6-0