HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's and women's tennis teams hit the road for the Badger State, where the Norse will open up this year's slate of Horizon League action. The women will be first up with a dual against Milwaukee at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 25. Both teams will take on Green Bay the following day, with the men scheduled for a 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET start against the Phoenix, followed by the women's match at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.
LAST TIME OUT: Both squads are coming off a loss, with the women falling to Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Louisville on March 17 while the men dropped a tight match with Eastern Kentucky on March 21.
Klara Skopac was the only Norse to take a set off a Cardinal, winning the opening set against Mariana Humberg in No. 2 singles before dropping the second set and the tiebreak. On the men's side, the Norse saw wins out of Mate Virag in No. 1 singles, Javier Araya in No. 3 singles, and Andrew Niehaus in No. 5 singles. Both Araya and Niehaus claimed straight-set wins over their opponents, and also teamed up in doubles action for a 6-1 win in the No. 3 spot.
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: Milwaukee only fields a women's tennis team, which enters the weekend riding a 6-8 overall record. The Panthers have taken on two Big Ten teams early in the season, falling to Wisconsin, 6-1, before dropping a 7-0 decision to Minnesota the following day. Milwaukee had a notable 5-2 win over Northern Illinois on March 10, which led to a sweep of the Horizon League's weekly honors after Eszter Zador clinched the match from the No. 2 singles spot and Berta Masdevall Masip and Alysa Straub handed the Huskies' No. 1 doubles team its first loss of the season. The Panthers return a pair of All-League honorees, with first-team member Labina Petrovska holding down the No. 1 spot for UWM while second-team member Hayley Marshall has played primarily in No. 3 singles.
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: Green Bay's men hold a 3-7 overall record, with 7-0 victories against Chicago State and UW-Whitewater along with a 4-3 win over Toledo. Following the graduation of Green Bay's top two singles players, who helped the Phoenix advance to the title match of the 2016 HL Tournament, Florian Kraenzler moved into the No. 1 spot for this season. The Phoenix sport a roster of six players, which has given way to consistency in Green Bay's lineup as the team has used the same singles order and doubles teams for every match in the 2017 season.
On the women's side, Green Bay is still searching for its first dual win of the year, sitting at 0-5 overall. The Phoenix have won just four points throughout the five matches, with Chiara Berg and Theresa Tebon splitting two singles wins apiece. Berg last had a straight-set win in the No. 2 spot against Cardinal Stritch while also winning in No. 3 singles against Omaha, while Tebon has picked up victories as Green Bay's No. 5 singles player against Omaha and Chicago State.
For more information on NKU's men's and women's tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.
