Feb. 6, 2013

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's tennis team heads to Des Moines, Iowa, this weekend for three challenging matches.

The Panthers (1-3) will play North Dakota Friday, Drake Saturday and UTEP Sunday.

Milwaukee has been tested by a difficult non-league schedule this spring, with the Panthers falling to DePaul and Marquette this past weekend. Maddy Soule did become UWM's all-time leader in doubles wins against Marquette after claiming the top all-time spot in singles wins a week earlier. Soule and Dana Shannon are each 2-2 in singles matches this spring while Soule and Christina Colarossi have teamed up for a 3-0 mark in doubles action.

North Dakota (1-3) has been solid in doubles play in four outings this spring, posting a 6-6 mark. But, North Dakota is just 7-16 in singles matches. UND has suffered losses to Montana, Montana State and South Dakota State over the first two weeks of the season.

Drake (1-2) returns four letterwinners from a squad that posted a school record 22 wins last spring, with the Bulldogs finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference. This fall, Jordan Eggleston (22-9) and Maddie Johnson (20-9) led the Bulldogs in combined singles/doubles wins.

UTEP (1-2) is led by seniors Dariya Abdrakhmanova and Martina Trierweiler, with Abdrakhmanova finishing third on the team in wins (14) during the 2011-12 season. Juniors Marie LeBlond and Rebeca Calvillo also enjoyed success during their sophomore campaigns, with LeBlond leading the Miners in wins (21) while Calvillo finished second (15).