Phot by Ben Gauger
Despite a gritty performance, the UW-Milwaukee Women’s tennis team ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a 1-6 loss to Western Michigan University at North Shore Elite Friday afternoon.
Opening with doubles play, freshman Mardee Merar and sophomore Hayley Marshall swiftly took a 6-2 win at the second flight. After splitting the first two matches of doubles play, the Panthers fell just short of securing the doubles point, with the top pair of sophomore Alysa Straub and senior Christina Colarossi falling 11-9 in a tiebreak to their the Broncos.
“We definitely had our chances today,” Milwaukee head coach Maddy Soule said after the match. “The doubles point came down to a matter of two points and I think it really hurt us when we lost the doubles point. There were many close matches, but we weren’t able to capitalize on some opportunities. The girls are as talented as any of the teams we play, it’s just a matter of finding wins.”
Hard-luck continued for the Panthers as they continued on in singles play. Senior Chelsea Bailey atthe top flight opened by claiming the first set, eventually succumbing the match in three close sets. At the bottom flight, sophomore Aerielle Pendleton started off quickly, claiming the first set 6-1, before dropping the third set tiebreak 7 to 5. Colarossi earned a hard-fought singles win at the fifth flight, overcoming her opponent 11-9 in a match tiebreak, in lieu of a full final set. The Panther fought hard but ultimately fell short with the other three singles matches, each falling in straight sets.
Photo by Ben Gauger
Milwaukee originally was slated to take on IUPUI Saturday afternoon at home, however the match was postponed until an undecided date. Instead, the Panthers will travel to Drake next Saturday for their next round of action.