SIUE tennis runs into stiff competition over the weekend

Kumar Bhooshan
Assistant Sports Editor

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional proved to be too much for the Lady Cougars.

SIUE, with a record of 7-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, sent its top four players to Indianapolis to compete against players from 17 states.

The Lady Cougars went in knowing that it would not be easy to win in a tournament that not only decided regional rankings but also national rankings as well.

SIUE fared well in the beginning of the tournament with all but one Lady Cougar advancing to the second round.

Senior Kim Mulherin, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, started off on the right foot, defeating Sam Dodson of Saginaw Valley University 6-2, 6-2.

Sophomore Laura Zeeb also got things going by defeating University of Indianapolis' Mary Jensen 6-3, 6-4.

Zeeb and Jensen played earlier this year in regular season conference play with Zeeb beating Jensen 6-2, 6-1.

Freshman Amber Stanley had her way with Gwen Gosman of the University of Southern Indiana 6-0, 6-4.

Fourteenth-seeded Erin Geisler of Indianapolis defeated freshman Coryn Reich 6-0, 6-0, which was the only first-round loss handed to any SIUE player.

Geisler played No. 2 for Indianapolis in regular season action.

The second round started to weed out the Lady Cougars with only Stanley advancing to the next round by defeating Kendra Niswander of the University of Findlay 6-2, 6-0.

Unseeded Amy Tylutki of Ferris State University defeated Mulherin in two tough sets, winning the first 6-2 and taking the second 7-6 in a tiebreaker.

Ferris State is 9-0 and No. 1 in its conference.

Becky Clanton of Grand Valley State University defeated Zeeb 6-2, 6-0.

In the third round Vesselina Jeliazkova of Northern Michigan University knocked off Stanley 6-1, 6-2, eliminating all the Lady Cougars in singles play.

Doubles proved to be a tough showing for the Lady Cougars as well.

The team of Stanley and Zeeb with a 2-0 record this year were defeated by Northern Kentucky University's Elizabeth Brunson and Lauren Spears 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.

Helena Kotaskova and Fatima Arshad of Northwood University defeated the team of Mulherin and Reich 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The Lady Cougars are currently ranked third in the GLVC behind Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana and will be host for the conference championships Friday and Saturday.

The matches will be played on the Simpson Complex in Alton and the Lewis and Clark Community College tennis courts.

SCOREBOARD

2000 ITA Women's Tennis Regional

FIRST ROUND SINGLES

Mulherin def. Sam Dodson( Saginaw Valley) 6-2, 6-2

Amber Stanley def. Gwen Gosman(Southern Indiana) 6-0, 6-4

Erin Geisler(Indianapolis) def. Coryn Reich 6-0,6-0

Laura Zeeb def. Mary Jenson( Indianapolis) 6-3, 6-4

SECOND ROUND SINGLES

Amy Tylutki( Ferris State) def. Kim Mulherin 6-2, 7-6

Becky Clanton(Grand Valley State) def. Laura Zeeb 6-2, 6-0

Amber Stanley def. Kendra Niswander (Findlay) 6-2, 6-0

THIRD ROUND SINGLES

Vesselina Jeliazkova (Ferris State) def. Amber Stanley 6-1, 6-2

FIRST ROUND DOUBLES

Brunson/Speares def. Stanley/Zeeb 6-0, 2-6, 6-3

Arrshad/Kotaskova def. Mulherin/Reich 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.