The Milwaukee women's tennis team sets its sights back home this weekend, now playing just one match Friday.
 
Originally scheduled to compete for two days of the weekend, the Panthers will now welcome Whitewater to River Glen Elite Friday, set for a 3 p.m. start.
 
The team was also set to host Bradley Saturday, but that match has been cancelled and will not be made up.
 
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. Admission is free.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
WHITEWATER: The all-time series against Whitewater is an interesting one, with the Panthers holding the 14-6 advantage. However, both teams have recorded long winning streaks in the process. The Warhawks went first, claiming the first six meetings dating back to the first one in 1990. Then, beginning with an 8-1 victory in 2006, the Panthers will go into the matchup on Friday having come out on top in the past 14 meetings, including back-to-back 7-0 wins in 2022 and 2023, a 6-1 decision in 2024, and 7-0 shutout last year.

Whitewater boasts a very successful NCAA D-III program and has won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title the past 18 consecutive seasons, including last season when the Warhawks went 14-9 overall and 5-1 in conference duals. Head coach Frank Barnes announced his retirement after 23 seasons of excellence in May of 2025, with Byron Balkin announced as his predecessor.
 
A 2014 UW-Whitewater graduate, Balkin returns to his alma mater after most recently serving as the head coach at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia from 2018-25, where he led the program to the second-highest win total in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference over that span. Prior to his time at HSC, Balkin spent eight years in Whitewater. From 2014-18, Balkin served as the assistant under Barnes. Balkin was also a member of the Warhawk tennis team from 2010-14. The team will be making just its second appearance this spring, dropping its opener, 7-0, to No. 1 Washington University Feb. 21.
 
LAST WEEK
The Panthers went 1-1, taking down Northern Iowa, 5-2, before falling at Western Illinois by the same scoreline.
 
Nadiia Konieva and Sara Simonova prevailed in both singles and doubles play to lead MKE in the win over UNI Friday. Emilia Durska made sure that was the case, taking down Yangjiaxin Li 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) for the clincher at No. 3.
 
The squad fell to the Leathernecks on Saturday after an injury in doubles play caused the squad to play shorthanded the rest of the day.

HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
Nel Van Hout continues to be an early-season bright spot, posting a 2-0 week in singles play last month 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 15-3 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 at the time as a team on the year (12-2 currently).
 
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 are off for eight days before beginning Horizon League play, hitting the road to take on Oakland March 14. The teams get underway at 3:30 p.m. CT that day.