MILWAUKEE – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis split its doubleheader defeating Milwaukee in the first match of the day before falling to Marquette in the nightcap Sunday.
 
NIU (2-4) won its second consecutive contest with a 4-3 victory over the Panthers at the River Glen Elite tennis facility, before dropping the second contest to the Golden Eagles, 4-3.
 
"We are so proud of effort today," said NIU head coach Eric Burns. "To play a doubleheader is tough enough, playing two quality opponents, in extremely tight 4-3 matches, is very demanding. We learned a lot about ourselves today and where we can go with this program.
 
"I loved the toughness and fight we showed. We are starting to believe we can win any match and that's an important step for our program."
 
The Huskies rallied in singles play after dropping the doubles point to the Panthers. NIU opened up a 3-1 advantage after Christy Robinson, Diana Lukyanova and Paula Veyhle won their matches at Nos. 5, 3 and 6 singles, respectively. Robinson and Lukyanova each won their matches in straight sets, while Veyhle rallied from a first set loss, to take the match.
 
Like Veyhle, Maria Potsi overcame a first set loss at No. 1 singles to defeat Greta Carbone, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the match for the Huskies.
 
Potsi, Lukyanova and Robinson also scored victories in their second match of the day. Potsi was pushed to three sets after dropping the first set 3-6, but took the next two by a score of 6-3. Lukyanova and Robinson earned straight set wins in their respective matches. Lukyanova scored a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles, while Robinson posted a 7-6, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles.
 
The Huskies return to the court Wednesday when NIU welcomes Chicago State to Chick Evans Field House. The match begins at 3 p.m.
 
-NIU-