Tennis Suffers Heartbreaker In Conference Opener

Comeback comes up just short

MILWAUKEE – Despite a spirited comeback effort, the Milwaukee women's team came up just short Saturday in an afternoon contest against Detroit, 4-3, from North Shore Elite Tennis Club.

"This was a heartbreaker," Panther head coach Jeff Aranda said. "There were so many examples our team fighting though, and that's what sports is all about. It's no fun to lose, but our team showed just how much they care about each other. Hayley played her best match of the year. Alysa and Laurie nearly came all the way back in doubles. This will only make us better and we'll keep moving forward with tomorrow's match against Oakland."

In the opening doubles point, Dana Shannon and Masha Lobanova won the No. 3 spot with a convincing 6-1 victory. After Detroit claimed the No. 2 spot, it all came down to the top pairing. Laurie Clark and Alysa Straub were knotted up a 6-6 with Anna Davydova and Irina Slizovskaya, with UDM able to sneak away with the win, 7-6, (11-9).

Straub started out singles play with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 win, but UWM trailed 3-1 with the top three spots yet to finish.

The Panthers once again showed their fight though. First it was Labina Petrovska taking down Davydova, 6-4, 6-1 at the top spot to start the comeback effort.

Then, Hayley Marshall had a rollercoaster win over Valeryia Kulikovskaya, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 to even things up a 3-3.

But, despite a valiant effort at the No. 3 spot, the Titans were able to just sneak out with the win to seal the match.

Despite the loss, the result is a remarkable improvement for the Panthers, who suffered a 4-0 loss to the Titans just one year ago.

It's a quick turnaround for Milwaukee, taking on Oakland Sunday morning at 10 a.m. from North Shore Elite.

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Players Mentioned

Hayley Marshall: Junior

Dana Shannon: Senior

Alysa Straub: Junior

Labina Petrovska: Sophomore

Masha Lobanova: Freshman

Laurie Clark: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Hayley Marshall
: Junior

Dana Shannon
: Senior

Alysa Straub
: Junior

Labina Petrovska
: Sophomore

Masha Lobanova
: Freshman

Laurie Clark
: Freshman