MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's tennis team lost a tough battle in doubles to start the day, and Illinois State rode that momentum to claim a 5-2 victory Saturday afternoon at River Glen Elite.
 
The Panthers (1-3) battled the Redbirds (3-2) tough throughout the contest but could not take advantage of numerous match points in doubles, laying the groundwork for the visitors to take the decision.
 
"Another great battle today," head coach Mark Goldin said. "The team had great energy and we left it all on the court. We had opportunities – we had eight match points for doubles and lost the decider. Coach Maja (Kovacek) always does a great job recruiting and her players always fight hard for her. It was a fun battle today."
 
Tied, 1-1, after Nadiia Konieva and Sara Simonova claimed a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, it all came down to court one. Back and forth it went, with the tandem of Lana Caculovic and Silvia Pomarolli outlasting Emilia Durska and Nel Van Hout in a thriller, 7-6 (11-9).
 
In singles, Van Hout ran her record on the season to 10-1 overall, dispatching Caculovic, 6-1, 6-3 at the top spot.
 
Svava Schroeder recorded the other MKE team point on the afternoon.
 
Up next, the team closes out a busy weekend with a match at Northern Illinois Sunday, scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m.
 
Illinois State 5, Milwaukee 2
Singles competition
1. Nel Van Hout (MKE) def. Lana Caculovic (ISU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Silvia Pomarolli (ISU) def. Nadiia Konieva (MKE) 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
3. Vittoria Benedetti (ISU) def. Emilia Durska (MKE) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
4. Nicole Iosio (ISU) def. Sara Simonova (MKE) 6-0, 6-3
5. Nuria Sanz (ISU) def. Honoka Yamashita (MKE) 6-1, 6-0
6. Svava Schroeder (MKE) def. Emma Lindh (ISU), by walkover
Doubles competition
1. Lana Caculovic/Silvia Pomarolli (ISU) def. Emilia Durska/Nel Van Hout (MKE) 7-6 (11-9)
2. Nadiia Konieva/Sara Simonova (MKE) def. Nicole Iosio/Nuria Sanz (ISU) 6-2
3. Vittoria Benedetti/Emma Lindh (ISU) def. Svava Schroeder/Honoka Yamashita (MKE) 6-1