MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Cleveland State women's tennis team opened up Horizon League play Saturday afternoon, earning a 6-1 victory at Milwaukee to improve to 7-7 overall this season and 1-0 in #HLWTEN play.
PDF BOX SCORE | Cleveland State 6, Milwaukee 1
Quick Hits
• Saturday's win marked the 11th straight season that the Vikings have been victorious in their Horizon League opener.
• With her win at No. 6 singles, Kateryna Avram now has a team-best 17 singles wins this year, including a 10-3 mark this spring.
• Following her win at the top of the lineup, Isabella Spindler now owns a 19-9 singles record in regular season league matches for her career.
• After picking up a win at No. 1 doubles, Isabella Spindler became the ninth Viking all-time with 60 career doubles wins and is now tied for eighth on the CSU Doubles Wins List.
• Saturday's win marked the first #HLWTEN victory under first-year head coach Frank Polito.
The Match
For the second straight match Cleveland State was able to get out to the early 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point, as Isabella Spindler and Klara Mrcela posted a 7-5 win at No. 1 doubles and Siân Payne and Gaby Schoenberg earned a 6-3 win at the No. 3 spot. Spindler and Mrcela, who are now 2-0 as a doubles team, battled back from being down 2-5 and 15-40 to win five straight games to clinch the doubles point for the Vikings.
Cleveland State then extended its lead to 3-0 following a pair of straight-set singles wins from Kateryna Avram and Gaby Schoenberg, as Avram posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles and Schoenberg earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the No. 5 spot.
Lara Prosenjak was then able to clinch the match for the Vikings, posting a 6-3, 7-6(6) win at No. 3 singles to give Cleveland State its sixth win out of the last eight matches.
Cleveland State was also able to put points on the board at the top two singles spots, as Isabella Spindler battled back for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, while Klara Mrcela notched a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles.
From The Sidelines
"I am so proud of how hard the team fought in this match today, they played with a never give up attitude which made the difference for us. This was a great way for us to start Horizon League play, and hopefully we will be able to carry this momentum into tomorrow's match and into the remainder of the league slate."
"Siân and Gaby took care of business at No. 3 doubles today, and gave us the opportunity to fight back at the top of the lineup. Isabella and Klara played an amazing match at No. 1 doubles and never gave up despite the score, giving us the early lead and the early momentum heading into singles play."
"In singles, Kate and Gaby set the tone for us, and then Lara was able to clinch the match after battling back from down 0-6 in the tiebreaker to win 8-6. Isabella had a tough matchup today, but found a way win, and Klara rattled off six straight games in the third to pick up her singles win. Although she wasn't able to get the win, Siân was down 6-0, 5-2 and fought all the way back to force a third set, but came up a little short in the end." – head coach Frank Polito
Up Next
• Cleveland State will continue its roadswing at Green Bay tomorrow (Sunday, March 24), facing the Phoenix at 1:00 p.m. EST.
The Results
Doubles (2, 3, 1)
1. Spindler/Mrcela (CSU) def. Clarke/Perova (MKE), 7-5
2. Belle/Daniel Fuentes (MKE) def. Prosenjak/Avram (CSU), 6-3
3. Payne/Schoenberg (CSU) def. Jurczak/Milner (MKE), 6-3
Singles (6, 5, 3, 2, 1, 4)
1. Isabella Spindler (CSU) def. Alexandra Belle (MKE), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Klara Mrcela (CSU) def. Nicole Clarke (MKE), 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
3. Lara Prosenjak (CSU) def. Mayya Perova (MKE), 6-3, 7-6(6)
4. Agata Jurczak (MKE) def. Siân Payne (CSU), 6-0, 6-7(4), 7-5
5. Gaby Schoenberg (CSU) def. Nikki Milner (MKE), 6-1, 6-3
6. Kateryna Avram (CSU) def. Anna Daniel Fuentes (MKE), 6-0, 6-0
