Following a recent stretch at home, the Milwaukee women's tennis team is set to embark on a weekend trip to visit the states of Iowa and Illinois. The Panthers will have busy weekend travel plans, taking on Northern Iowa Friday and then Western Illinois Saturday.
 
Milwaukee and UNI will meet up at the Black Hawk Tennis Center in Waterloo, Iowa, scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. Friday.
 
Then, the team will then make the 200-mile trek to Macomb, Ill., to play its second match of the weekend against the Leathernecks, set for a quick turnaround with a 9:30 a.m. start. Those two teams will meet at the WIU Tennis Facility on campus.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
NORTHERN IOWA: Milwaukee and UNI have been playing consistently since the 2004-05 season, with Northern Iowa the 13-9 advantage in a series that dates back to 1994. Most recently, UNI claimed a 4-3 victory a year ago, snapping what was a strong stretch of play for MKE in the series. Prior to that decision, Milwaukee had gone 5-1 the prior six dating back to 2019. Chris Sagers has been the head coach of the program since 2014. UNI is coming off a season last year in which it went 7-15 overall and 4-4 in conference matches. They are 1-8 this spring, with a 4-3 victory over Lindenwood to their credit Jan. 30, but enter play Friday having dropped seven straight. Their most recent road trip took them to South Dakota, falling to Wyoming (L, 4-0 Feb. 21) and to the host Coyotes (L, 4-3 Feb. 22). Lucia Schuknecht leads singles action this year with four wins (4-2); while no doubles player has recorded more than one victory (3-20 as a team overall).
 
WESTERN ILLINOIS: The team is coming off a season last year in which it went 12-9 overall and 5-1 in conference matches – a huge jump over the prior campaign (2-16 overall/0-6 league). The team was selected to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, but the Leathernecks have started this spring at 2-8 out of the gates, dropping their past five. Most recent action includes defeats at the hands of Omaha (L, 7-0 Feb. 20) and Creighton (L, 7-0 Feb. 21). The Panthers have gone 11-3 all-time against WIU, with a streak of 10 straight victories heading into Saturday – prior to last season's 4-3 nailbiter, MKE had won the prior six matchups by a score of 7-0 (dating back to 2011). The program is led by third-year head coach Luke Ogren.

LAST WEEK
The Panthers went 1-1, topping UIC for just the second time in program history with an impressive 4-3 decision, before falling to St. Thomas by the same tight scoreline.
 
Against the Flames, Nel Van Hout outlasted Marta Halbersztadt at No. 2 singles to send MKE to the thrilling 4-3 victory. That snapped what was a 12-match streak against the former Horizon League foe, dating back to 2014 when the Flames were a dynasty, claiming the league title every year from 1997 through 2013 as well as 19 times overall. With the score on the day knotted up at 3-3, Van Hout delivered MKE the clincher, 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.

HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
Nel Van Hout continues to be an early-season bright spot, posting a 2-0 week in singles play to run her win streak to seven consecutive dating back to the fall (it reached eight before it was snapped). She was recognized with Horizon League Singles Player of the Week honors Feb. 18 after the 2-0 week. She defeated Marquette, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 Friday before topping the University of Chicago - the second-ranked team in NCAA DIII - by a score of 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. She is now 13-1 on the season overall in singles matches.
 
The team of Nadiia Konieva and Sara Simonova was also recognized Feb. 18, earning Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week. The honor is the third of Konieva and Simonova's career, but the first together as a team.
 
The tandem posted a 2-0 week with wins over Marquette and UChicago. The duo overcame a 4-2 deficit at No. 2 singles to defeat Marquette Friday, fighting off two match points before claiming the 7-5 decision. On Sunday, they took down the Maroons No. 2 team by a final score of 6-3 to improve to 9-2 as a team on the year.
 
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.
 
THE COACH
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.

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 33-20 over the past five-plus years, including a 10-3 mark in 2021.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home for a pair of matches next weekend, welcoming Whitewater Friday (3 p.m. start) and Bradley Saturday (11 a.m. start).