An early-season battle for first place in the Horizon League will take place at Saturday's showdown between UIC and Milwaukee.  Both teams enter play having won their first two conference matches, and are the league's only 2-0 teams.

The Flames topped Northern Kentucky and IUPUI by a combined score of 12-2 last weekend, behind the dominant play of conference Singles Player of the Week Dominika Hrabalova.  She lost only two games across her four sets in a pair of wins, including in her first appearance of the season in the #3 flight.

UIC has won eight straight matches entering Saturday, and eight in a row against conference foes dating to last year.  That figure includes two wins over Milwaukee last April.  Tamara Malazonia and Agnes Gustafsson teamed up for two wins at #1 doubles against the Panthers.  Gustafsson and Ana Jover each prevailed on the singles courts in both Flames wins.

Milwaukee posted wins over IUPUI and Northern Kentucky last weekend.  Mayya Perova and Avery Durham were named the Horizon League's Doubles Team of the Week.  Perova has a sparkling 14-3 record on the singles courts.  Perova and Durham are 7-1 overall in doubles play, and Greta Carbone and Iva Stejskalova are 11-3.

Saturday's match will begin at 1 p.m. at Elite-River Glen in Milwaukee.