The Milwaukee women's tennis team jumps back into conference play next, welcoming a pair of league opponents this weekend. The Panthers host Youngstown State Friday, followed by a matchup with Cleveland State Saturday morning.
 
Play gets underway Friday at 11 a.m. against the Penguins at River Glen Elite. Then, on Saturday, action moves to North Shore Elite for the meeting with the Vikings, set for an 8 a.m. start. Saturday will also be "Senior Day" for the program, honoring the seniors on the roster this season: Nadiia Konieva, Laure Razet, and Sara Simonova.
 
River Glen Elite, the home of MKE Tennis, 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. Due to official availability, the match Saturday will be held at North Shore Elite in Glendale, Wis., located at 5750 N. Glen Park Rd., Glendale, Wis., 53209.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Thirteenth-year head coach Mickael Sopel has done an impressive job turning the Penguins into one of the most respected programs in the Midwest. Sopel, a two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year, has led the Penguins to eight league postseason titles, appeared in eight NCAA tournaments and have reached the conference postseason title match nine times in the 11 years it has been contested since his arrival at YSU. They went 5-1 in league play in 2025 to finish second, going 14-8 overall with the season coming to an end against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament after defeating Cleveland State in the Horizon League Tournament championship.
 
The 'Guins are 8-9 this spring, having claimed wins in three consecutive matches following a stretch of five straight losses. The squad is 1-0 in league play with a 4-3 win over CSU under its belt. Hanna Telzynska (15-14) and Yeseniia Ovcharova (13-16) lead the way in singles victories, with Lorena Cedeno (13-10) and Yoana Dudova (13-11) tops in doubles wins.
 
CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings are coming off a another successful campaign a season ago, finishing 13-10 overall as well as a perfect 6-0 in Horizon League action to take the regular season title. CSU came up just short of a championship and NCAA Tournament appearance for the second straight season, falling to Youngstown State in the title match by a final score of 4-1. The team was selected as the Horizon League preseason favorite, earning 47 points and five first place votes. This marked the third consecutive season that Cleveland State was selected at the top of the preseason poll.
 
Led by seventh-year head coach Frank Polito, the team is 5-13 overall this season and 0-1 in league play after falling to YSU, 4-3. Throughout Polito's tenure with the Vikings, he has helped guide Cleveland State to seven regular-season Horizon League titles (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024, & 2025), 10 semifinal appearances, and five championship match appearances at the Horizon League Tournament.
 
They have dropped two in a row after also getting knocked off by Xavier, 7-0, March 22. Ella Franz (12-16) and Leah Geisz (12-16) lead the way in singles play, with Franz and Petkova Mustafa the top doubles squad at 11-10.
 
LAST WEEK
The Panthers traveled to Florida for a trip over spring break, taking on North Alabama and Stetson. The short-handed squad dropped both matchups.

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 wrap up Horizon League regular season play with a road trip next weekend to take on Northern Kentucky April 17 and IU Indy April 18.