MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's tennis team wrapped up play at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic Sunday, with Natalia Castaneda Guerrero and Karolina Skowronska gaining valuable experience against a strong field that featured student-athletes from Wisconsin, Marquette, Colorado, North Carolina, Navy, Kansas State and South Florida.
 
"It was a great experience for the girls to compete against some of the top players in the country," head coach Mark Goldin said. "We picked up some solid wins, and it was good to see this level early in the season, so we have an idea of where we want to be at in April. It was also great to see the community come out to support the Panthers."
 
Skowronska picked up the Panthers' first singles win of the weekend, defeating Marquette's Elise Barnstedt, 6-1, 7-5.
 
Castaneda Guerrero opened singles play Friday with a back-and-forth match against Wisconsin's Tianna Rangan, falling by a score of 6-3, 7-5.
 
Skowronska then battled UW's Karolina Jacobsen in a three-set match, dropping the opening set before rallying to force a match tiebreak. Jacobsen ultimately prevailed, 6-0, 4-6, 10-8.
 
Castaneda Guerrero closed out Friday's singles action with a strong performance against Colorado's Ema Bubalo, winning 6-2, 7-5.
 
Saturday saw Skowronska face another tough test against Colorado's Heidi Crncan, with Crncan earning a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
 
Castaneda Guerrero bounced back with a three-set victory over Navy's Grace Li. After splitting the first two sets, Castaneda Guerrero won the decisive match tiebreak, to earn a 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 victory. She then closed out singles play against North Carolina's Mary Grace Rennard, falling 6-4, 6-2.
 
In doubles, Castaneda Guerrero and Skowronska opened the weekend against Alanis Hamilton and Anna Frey of North Carolina, falling 6-3, to the No. 14-ranked doubles tandem in the country.
 
The Panthers responded with a strong performance Saturday, defeating Marquette's Elise Barnstedt and Emmerson White, 6-4. Milwaukee then faced Kansas State's Diana Smolinska and Sabrina Balderrama, falling 6-1.
 
Castaneda Guerrero and Skowronska concluded doubles play Sunday against South Florida's Sienna Leeson and Josefina Falster, dropping a 6-4 decision.
 
The Milwaukee Tennis Classic provided the Panthers with a challenging opening opportunity to compete against nationally ranked and nationally prominent opposition as the team opened its fall schedule.