WIU - Augustana Results
WIU - USD Results
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Western Illinois women's tennis team traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a pair of dual meets on Friday, February 13. The Leathernecks opened the day with their Summit League opener, as they faced South Dakota. The Coyotes got the best of Western, taking a 6-1 decision. Following the match, Western squared off against Augustana (S.D.) in a nonconference match. The Vikings, a Division II national power with five-straight NCAA tournament appearances, defeated Western (0-8, 0-1 Summit League) by a 5-0 final.
"We had a great day today for our first conference match," said head coach
Raquel Allen. "Our team has improved so much over the past few weeks and today our results started to show. We were able to play confident from beginning to end and get two wins against South Dakota. (Courtney) Lubbers was able to pull off a great win for us today and I am excited to see what we are going to do next in The Summit League. I am extremely proud of how we played today and this is just the beginning of a new era for the women's tennis program."
Against South Dakota, Western got off to a strong start in doubles action, as the duo of
Arianna Demos and
Nicole Jones got the Leathernecks going with a 8-7 victory over the team of Scott/Maslova in the No. 2 position. The momentum couldn't be sustained, as South Dakota picked up 8-1 decisions at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to secure the doubles point.
In singles action,
Courtney Lubbers put Western Illinois on the board with a hard-fought, three set victory over Rymma Maslova of South Dakota. Lubbers claimed the first set, 6-4, before dropping the second set in a tiebreaker, 6-7. In a third set tiebreaker to determine the match, Lubbers prevailed, 12-10, to pick up the victory.
South Dakota was able to secure victories in the final five singles matches, all in straight sets.
Jenna Wallace (6-1, 6-0) and Demos (6-2, 6-0) dropped their matches at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively. Jones fell, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 4 singles, and Adriana Johnson and
Jamee Hale each lost, 6-0, 6-0 decisions at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions.
Against Augustana, Western played according to Division II rules in which each doubles match counts as a point towards the team total. The Vikings were able to jump out to a quick 3-0 behind three straight victories in doubles competition. In singles action, Lubbers dropped a 6-1, 6-4 decision at No. 1 singles while Johnson fell, 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 position. The five team points clinched the match for Augustana, so Wallace's No. 2 singles contest Demos' match at No. 3 singles were suspended in the middle of play. Jones' and Hale's matches at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, were never started.
Western Illinois returns to action February 21, as the team travels to Peoria to take on Bradley and Green Bay in nonconference action. First serve against Bradley is set for 9 a.m., while the match against Green Bay will begin at approximately 12 p.m.
