Panther Tennis Hosts Youngstown State
Milwaukee looking for second-straight win
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March 28, 2003 MILWAUKEE -
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's tennis team (3-7, 1-1 Horizon) will look to open a two-match winning streak Saturday when Youngstown State visits southeast Wisconsin for a Horizon League matchup. The Panthers and Penguins will tangle Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Moorland Racquet Club in New Berlin, Wis.
Last Time Out
The Panthers gained a split on last weekend's tour of the northern Illinois area. Saturday at Northern Illinois, the Panthers fell to the Huskies, 7-0, but rebounded to pick up the third win of the season Sunday at Chicago State, 4-3. Tammie Spiel, Cassie Kuranz and Erin Felber each picked up a win against the Cougars, with UWM also winning the doubles point to take the match.
This Week's Opponent
The Penguins enter this weekend's action at 5-7 on the season, including a 1-2 mark in the Horizon League. YSU defeated Cleveland State, 7-0, on Feb. 7 for their lone league victory. The Penguins, who will also play a match Saturday morning in Green Bay, Wis., have lost three of their last four matches, with the lone win coming March 14 against Ohio Dominican in Orlando, Fla.
Series Records
The Panthers and Penguins will have just their third meeting since UWM moved to the ranks of Division I in 1990. UWM won the first meeting in 1995 before Youngstown State evened the series with a win in eastern Ohio last year, the Penguins' first as a member of the Horizon League.
Doubling Your Fun
In each of the three matches the Panthers have won during the 2002-03 season, the Panthers won the doubles point, highlighting the team aspect of the game. Last year, the Panthers didn't win a single doubles point, reflected in the 0-18 mark posted on the season. Milwaukee has had most success in the No. 2 and 3 doubles spot, with the Panthers posting identical 3-8 marks. Molly Caulk and Cassie Kuranz have been the most effective pairing at No. 2 doubles, posting a 2-3 mark on the season, while Tammie Spiel and Megan Brown have combined for an identical 2-3 mark at No. 3 doubles.
New To New Berlin
The Panthers will play all three of their home matches this season at the Moorland Park Tennis Club in New Berlin after using the Hidden Valley Tennis Center in Jackson, Wis., as their home last season. The Moorland Park Tennis Club can be reached by taking I-94 west to Moorland Road south. Follow Moorland Road about three miles to Cleveland Ave., where you will turn right and continue to 163rd Street. Turning left on 163rd Street, the club is 1 block up on the left-hand side of the road.
Player of the Week
After going nearly three years without without having a UWM tennis player named Player of the Week, it took freshman Alyssa Halcomb just a month into her first season to accomplish the feat twice. Halcomb was most recently named Player of the Week on Oct. 29 following her play at the ITA Midwest Regional. She previously earned the honor for the week ending Oct. 13 after leading the Panthers to a victory over Missouri-Kansas City. That victory ended the Panthers' 28-match losing streak and was the first time since Erin Jex took over as head coach that the Panthers shut out an opponent. Halcomb was the first Panther to earn the league's weekly honor since Kristine Miller won the award on April 27, 2000.
Off and Running
The two newcomers to this year's team both had impressive debuts Sept. 21 at Whitewater, collecting both of the team's wins. At No. 2 singles, Alyssa Halcomb collected her first collegiate win, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, while Margie Van Lieshout also picked up career win number one at No. 4 singles, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. The pair also had a strong weekend at the Ball State Invitational, where they both finished fourth in their flight.
Spring Season = Some Success
Over the past three seasons, the Panthers have had more success in the spring portion of the season than in the fall, as UWM has picked up 12 wins in the spring session. During the fall, UWM has picked up just three wins in the last four years, including the victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Oct. 12. The Panthers are a combined 12-36 in the spring season, for a .250 winning percentage, compared to the 3-13 (.188) they have accumulated over the fall season during the same time frame.
Caulk Climbs the Lists
Senior Molly Caulk stands in fourth place all-time in career matches with 79 matches played after the match with UIC Sunday. Caulk moved alone into fourth place with the season-opening match at UW-Whitewater on Sept. 21. She ended last season with 72, tied with Lori Rocklewitz, who played from 1993-97, and Tori Whitlinger, who played from 1994-98. Angi Bayer holds the school mark with 86 matches played, a mark Caulk could break during the Horizon League Tournament.
Freshmen Finding Success
Freshmen Margie Van Lieshout and Alyssa Halcomb both have had a solid start to their freshman seasons. Van Lieshout picked up her fourth win of the season Oct. 19 at Indianapolis, while Halcomb won her fourth match Oct. 24 at the ITA Regionals. The Panthers have had a trend of success from freshmen, as UWM has had a freshman win at least six matches each year for the past three years. Megan Brown picked up six last season, while Cassie Kuranz won the same number in her freshman campaign. Molly Caulk started the trend by winning nine matches during her rookie season in 1999-2000. The UWM record for wins in a season by a freshman is 14, held by Angi Bayer in 1992-93 and Tori Whitlinger in 1994-95.
Spring Break in Sunny Milwaukee
For the first time since the 1998-99 season, and the first time since coach Erin Jex took over the UWM tennis program, the Panthers did not take a training trip during Spring Break. Last year, UWM traveled to Texas for matches against Texas-Pan American, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and St. Mary's of Texas. The Panthers went 0-3 on last year's trip. Since moving to Division I in 1990, the Panthers are 9-17 all-time on Spring Break trips.
Up Next
Milwaukee will host UW-Green Bay in another Horizon League match on April 6 at the Moorland Racquet Club. Match time is 10 a.m.
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