Panther Tennis Returns to the CourtsFeb. 19, 2002 MILWAUKEE - The UWM tennis team returns to action this weekend after the winter break when the Panthers host Northern Illinois on Sunday. Sunday's match is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club in Jackson, Wis. The Series: The Panthers will be hosting the Huskies for the first time since October, 1996. Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 5-0. The two teams last met in 1997 in DeKalb, and played every year from 1994 to 1997, including twice in 1996. From the Fall: The Panthers played in three dual matches, losing all three by a 7-0 mark. UWM also competed in a pair of tournaments that were not team scored, where several Panthers picked up their first collegiate wins. Megan Brown picked up her first four career wins, while Erin Felber collected a pair of wins and Tammie Spiel got her first win. Cassie Kuranz picked up her season's first win during the tournaments. Freshmen Firepower: The four freshmen on this year's roster have accounted for all but one of the individual match victories for the Panthers this year. Erin Felber, Megan Brown and Tammie Spiel have compiled a 7-14 record in their first collegiate play. The fourth member of the freshman class, Melissa Hackett, has not yet played in a singles match in her career, but is 0-2 in doubles play with teammate Julie Heling. Recruiting Wars: Head coach Erin Grambow, in just her second year, has already pulled off two strong recruiting classes. Her first class includes Erin Felber, Megan Brown and Tammie Spiel, three of the four Panthers who won a match in the fall. Grambow has already inked two players for the start of play in the fall of 2002. Alyssa Halcomb, from Camarillo, Calif., and Marjorie Vanlieshout, of Oshkosh, Wis., will join the Panthers. Both players are ranked in their respective regions by the USTA. Senior Farewell: The Panthers will be playing this spring without senior Kate Laveck, who exhausted her eligibility this fall. Laveck had teamed up with Tammie Spiel in No. 1 singles and had worked well together, only losing 8-6 to Western Illinois' top pairing, who had the benefit of several years' experience as teammates.
Up Next: The Panthers return to the courts next Sunday at Pleasant Valley Tennis Club when Bradley and DePaul visit Milwaukee. The spring season features the Panthers taking on Horizon League rivals Detroit, UIC, Cleveland State, Butler and Youngstown State, and will conclude with the Horizon League Championships in Indianapolis on April 26-28, 2002.
|
