KOHLER – A brand new squad for the Lakeland College women's tennis team showed a great deal of promise and the ability to not go down without a fight despite losing a pair of matches to open its season at the Sports Core in Kohler.
The Muskies lost to Concordia University Chicago and Dominican (Ill.) University by matching 5-4 scores in the first dual matches of the season. Both Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matches came down to the end of singles play, with the visiting schools from River Forest, Ill., coming through narrowly at the end.
Lakeland unveiled a squad with three freshmen plus three athletes from the school's softball team. The Muskies showed competitiveness at every flight in singles and doubles in playing a number of entertaining matches.
Lakeland won three of four matches against Concordia via default as the Cougars traveled with just four athletes. Freshmen
Courtney Kienast (
Burlington, Wis.) and
Ann Schroeder (
Lake Mills, Wis.) added a win at No. 2 doubles, defeating Ellie Smith and Aurora Bostwick 8-6 to put the Muskies one win from a match victory.
It was not to be, though, as Concordia won all four matches competed at singles. Long games were the norm in all four matches, but the closest came at No. 1 singles where Emma Renteria defeated
Emma Schad (
Fr.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) 6-3, 6-2.
The Muskies also finished with three wins at singles plus a doubles win against a good Dominican team that tied for fourth in the NACC a year ago. The first win came at No. 3 doubles, where
Carly Brault (
So.-Brillion, Wis.) and
Rachel Conery (
So.-Vulcan, Mich.) swept Elizabeth Cordes and Katia Lima-Lopez 8-0.
Lakeland then added wins at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 in singles play. Brault handled Haley Locher 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4 singles, Conery defeated Cordes 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 and
Mikayla Hilton (
Jr.-Port Washington, Wis.) dominated at No. 6 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Lima-Lopez. The Muskies were unable to get one more win, though, despite a pair of close doubles losses, including Schad and Hilton falling 8-5 at No. 1 doubles to Carmelita Villalobos and Megan Hickey.
Lakeland is back in action next week on Friday when it travels to face Mount Mary University at 6 p.m. in Milwaukee. It is a conference match for the Muskies, as the Blue Angels are a new affiliate member of the NACC in women's tennis this year.
