2007-2008
MATCH RECAPS
(Click on results to obtain match results)
MARCH 6:
MARTIN METHODIST (TN) 5, USF 4
KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- For the second time this season, University of St. Francis saw its losing streak reach six matches as Martin Methodist College (TN) dealt the Lady Saints a 5-4 loss on Thursday, sending them back home without a victory on their five-game swing through the south.
USF’s only victories came when Martin Methodist pulled its Nos. 2 and 3 doubles teams off the courts after already sealing the match victory with five wins in singles play.
USF’s other two wins came at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles, where Martin Methodist did not field an individual or team.
St. Francis’ best chance at gaining a win on the court in a completed match came at No. 5 singles, where junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) went three sets before falling to Fidelina Diaz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
With the loss, USF’s record dipped to 4-14 on the season.
The Lady Saints are off for the better part of a month before hosting North Central College on April 12 at 3 p.m.
MARCH 5:
WINGATE (NC) 9, USF 0
KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- University of St. Francis proved no match for Wingate University (NC), which claimed an easy 9-0 victory on Wednesday.
Wingate won all six singles matches in straight sets, with senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) being the lone Lady Saint to win as many as five games. Each of those came in a 7-5 first-set loss at No. 2 singles Olson was shut out in the second set, 6-0.
In doubles play, Wingate allowed St. Francis (4-13) to win just three games combined over the three matches.
The defeat extended USF’s losing streak to five matches.
MARCH 3:
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE (MI) 9, USF 0
KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- NCAA II Saginaw Valley State University (Mich.) dealt University of St. Francis its second 9-0 setback in three days as the Lady Saints suffered their third straight defeat on their swing through Florida on Monday.
Beaten handily in each of its six singles matches, where the Lady Saints won no more than one game in all but two of the 12 sets, USF sought to avoid the same fate on the doubles side.
St. Francis (4-12) challenged at both No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, before eventually succumbing by 8-4 and 8-5 counts, respectively. Freshman Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) and junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) made up the latter squad, with senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) teaming up in the No. 1 slot.
MARCH 2:
KING'S (PA) 5, USF 4
KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- Seeking to even out its record at 1-1 on its southern trip, University of St. Francis came up one match short as King’s College (PA) broke a 3-3 tie after singles play with two doubles victories to earn a 5-4 win on Sunday.
Seniors Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) and Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) and sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) picked up USF’s three singles wins. Olson outlasted Sarah Guza at No. 2 singles, winning 6-2, 5-7, 11-9, while Braun fought off Laureen Breen, 7-5, 6-4, at No. 6. Strand, meanwhile, had little trouble in the No. 5 slot, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 win.
The turning point of the match came at No. 2 doubles, where Guza and Kristen Hunter edged out Olson and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL), 8-5.
The two teams split their other two doubles matches by identical 8-1 counts, with the No. 3 team of freshman Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) and junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) gaining the other win for USF (4-11).
MARCH 1:
STONEHILL (MA) 9, USF 0
KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- University of St. Francis posed little trouble for Stonehill College (MA) as the Lady Saints were blanked in their spring-trip opener, 9-0, Saturday.
USF was limited to winning just nine of the 105 games played on the day with senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) the lone singles player to win more than one game. She dropped a 6-0, 6-3 decision to Daniella Granato in the No. 2 position.
Olson and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) were the only doubles team to put together more than one game win, as well, dropping an 8-2 decision in the No. 1 slot.
Stonehill won the other two doubles matches by 8-0 counts. The Skyhawks also won a pair of singles matches (Nos. 1 and 3) without losing a game. In two other singles matches (Nos. 4 and 5), USF won only one game in the two sets combined, while dropping a 6-1, 6-1 contest at No. 6.
OCTOBER 18:
USF 5, ROBERT MORRIS 0
ST. AMBROSE 5, USF 2
PARK FOREST, Ill. — University of St. Francis reached the semifinals of the inaugural Mid-States Tennis Conference Championship tournament on Thursday, but could not get any farther.
The Lady Saints swept a first-round match with Robert Morris in the morning at USF’s home complex -- Challenge Fitness -- in Lockport. The match, just like the one played later in the day, was held indoors due to the threatening and blustery weather conditions.
The 5-0 win over Robert Morris -- which included forfeit wins at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles since the Eagles brought only five players to the meet -- was completed in less than an hour. Senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) won the only singles match that was played with a 6-0 and 6-0 victory at No. 5. Senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) won by an 8-2 count at No. 1 doubles and sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) and senior Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL) also won by an 8-2 tally.
The third-seeded Saints then boarded their team vans and traveled east to the Park Forest Tennis Center for their semifinal match with No. 2 seed St. Ambrose (IA). USF was looking to avenge a 6-3 loss that it suffered to the Queen Bees in its season opener back on Sept. 1 in Davenport, Iowa.
USF started well, taking two of the three doubles matches. The Lady Saints also watched as they picked up wins in the first sets of the No. 4 and No. 5 singles bouts and held an early lead in the opening set of the No. 3 match.
But St. Ambrose quickly turned things around and USF would not win another match.
USF secured wins from the team of Frey and Olson at No. 1 doubles (8-4) and the pairing of sophomore Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) and freshman Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) at No. 3 doubles (8-5).
St. Ambrose captured the No. 2 doubles over the USF team of Pickett and Braun and then evened the match with a win at No. 6 singles over USF junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL).
Lutz won the first set at No. 4 singles before losing the final two (6-2, 2-6, 0-6). Pickett led her first set at No. 3 by a 5-4 score but ended up losing in two (7-5, 6-0).
The match ended when St. Ambrose secured its fifth point thanks to a straight sets victory at No. 1 singles over USF’s Frey (6-2, 7-5).
The other two singles matches were stopped once the team match was decided. Olson had won the first set at No. 2 and Strand had split her first two sets at No. 5 and was trailing in the third.
The loss concluded USF’s fall season. The Lady Saints finished 4-9, but went 4-3 in their final seven matches.
St. Ambrose advances to play host Olivet Nazarene in the MSTC final Friday in Bourbonnais.
The Lady Saints will play a brief schedule of matches in the spring that will begin with the team’s annual spring break trip to Orlando in early March.
NOTES: After losing its first six matches, USF won four of its final seven and had a three-match winning streak snapped with the tournament loss to St. Ambrose ... Strand and Lutz tied for team leadership in singles victories this fall, with each wnning five. Strand was 5-8 and Lutz finished 5-9 ... Lutz was part of the most doubles wins this fall, posting a 5-6 record with a total of four different partners. Pickett was next in line, teaming with four different mates to post a 4-8 mark ... The doubles teams of Lutz/Metcalf and Lutz/Koziol both finished 2-1 to notch the only winning records in doubles or singles for the Saints this fall ... The 4-9 fall record was one win short of last season’s 5-7-1 mark.
OCTOBER 12:
USF 8, ROBERT MORRIS 1
LOCKPORT, Ill. — University of St. Francis added six victories to a pair of forfeits and defeated Robet Morris, 8-1, in a Mid-State Tennis Conference match at the Challenge Fitness outdoor courts Friday afternoon.
USF won all five singles bouts that were played and split the two doubles mathches that took place.
No. 1 singles player Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) was the lone Saint that needed a third set in the singles competition. No. 2 Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL), No. 3 Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL), No. 4 Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) and No. 5 Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) all won in straight sets, with only Pickett needing a tiebreaker in either of the two sets.
The No. 2 doubles team of Pickett and Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) earned an 8-4 win while the No. 1 pairing of Frey and Olson suffered USF’s only loss on the afternoon.
The win, USF’s third in its last five matches, pushed the Lady Saints’ record to 3-8 on the season and to 3-2 in MSTC play.
The match was the final dual of the fall season prior to next week’s inaugural MSTC tournament which begins Thursday morning at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. USF will again face Robert Morris in the first round of the single-elimination team tournament.
NOTES: Since it was the final home match of the season, USF honored its three seniors -- Olson, Pickett and Strand ... If the Saints get past Robert Morris in the first round of the MSTC tourney, they will then face No. 2-seeded St. Ambrose (IA) later Thursday in the second round.
OCTOBER 10:
USF 8, CALUMET (IN) 1
LOCKPORT, Ill. — University of St. Francis swept all six singles matches and two two of the three doubles bouts en route to an 8-1 Mid-States Tennis Conference victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph (IN) on Wednesday at the Challege Fitness outdoor courts.
The Lady Saints battled the blustery conditions and posted victories in all but the No. 2 doubles slot.
The only close singles matches came at No. 1 and No. 2 where both Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) and Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) were extended to a third set before claiming the wins.
Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL) at No. 3, Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) at No. 4, Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) at No. 5 and Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) at No. 6 all won decisively, with none of them losing more than two games in any one set.
Frey and Olson teamed up to win at No. 1 doubles and Lutz and Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) earned a win at No. 3 doubles.
The victory moves the Saints’ overall record to 2-8 and improves their MSTC mark to 2-2.
USF plays host to Robert Morris on Friday at 3 p.m. at Challenge Fitness.The Lady Saints then complete their fall schedule at the inaugural MSTC tournament at Olivet Nazarene next week. USF plays Robert Morris at 9:30 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 18) in the first round of that tournament.
OCTOBER 6:
BETHEL (IN) 9 , USF 0
MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Bethel College (IN) did not lose a set and ran away to a 9-0 victory over University of St. Francis Saturday afternoon.
The Pilots lost no fewer than four games in any one singles set and captured the doubles matches by scores of 8-5, 8-2 and 8-2.
USF No. 2 singles player senior Laura Olson (Horkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) came the closest for the Lady Saints when she fell by scores of 6-2 and 6-4. Junior Kelly Pruett (Minooka H.S./Morris, IL), playing in just her second counting collegiate match, also won six games as she fell at No. 6 singles by scores of 6-3 and 6-3.
The Saints’ No. 1 doubles pairing of Olson and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) battled to an 8-5 loss.
USF fell to 1-8 on the fall season while Bethel improved to 8-3.
NOTES: USF again was shorthanded. The Saints did not have the services of two regulars -- junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) and senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL). Metcalf missed her fourth straight match with an ankle sprain and Strand was not with the team due as she was attending her uncle’s funeral.
OCTOBER 4:
CHICAGO STATE 7, USF 0
CHICAGO, Ill. — NCAA Division I Chicago State swept a short-handed University of St.Francis team Thursday afternoon at the CSU campus.
The Lady Saints had just five players available and were only able to play five singles matches and the first two doubles bouts.
USF was unable to win a set in singles and had just one player win as many as three games in a set against the more experienced Cougars.
USF sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) had the best day for the Lady Saints, winning three games in both sets at No. 4 singles. Junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) won a pair of games in the first set before losing 6-0 in the second set at No. 1 singles.
Junior Kelly Pruett (Minooka H.S./Morris, IL) played in her first varsity match with the Saints and was able to win two games in her second set at No. 5 singles.
USF travels to Mishawaka, Ind., Saturday to play Bethel College.
NOTES: The match with Chicago State was originally scheduled to be played earlier in September in Joliet but was moved to accomodate the Cougars’ schedule ... The Saints played Thursday without the services of senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL), senior Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL), junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) and freshman Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL). Olson, Pickett and Koziol all had class conflicts, while Metcalf was still nursing an ankle sprain. Metcalf hopes to return to action Saturday at Bethel and the other three will also be on the trip. Senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) is expected to miss the Bethel trip due to a death in her family.
SEPTEMBER 30:
USF 7, CLARKE (IA) 2
LOCKPORT, Ill. — University of St. Francis captured its first victory of the fall season with a 7-2 win over Clarke (IA) at the Fitness Challenge outdoor courts.
The Lady Saints won five of the seven contested matches and also benefitted from two Clarke forfeits as the Crusaders had just five players available for the match.
USF won four of the five singles matches that were played and split the two doubles bouts.
The Saints got singles victories from senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) at No. 2, senior Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL) at No. 3, freshman Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) at No. 4 and senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) at No. 5.
The doubles duo of Pickett and sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) also got a win in the No. 2 slot.
Clarke’s only wins came at No. 1 singles by scores of 7-5 and 6-4 over junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) and at No.1 doubles over the team of Frey and Olson by an 8-2 count.
USF’s singles wins all came in straight sets, with ony one set being extended to a tiebreaker. Lutz won easily by scores of 6-0 and 6-1 and Strand won convincingly by margins of 6-0 and 6-2.
The Lady Saints are now 1-6. The win was also USF’s first in the newly-formed Mid-States Tennis Conference and pushed its league mark to 1-2.
USF is off until next Saturday (Oct. 6) when the Lady Saints travel to Mishawaka, Ind., to face Bethel.
NOTES: The singles wins for Olson and Pickett were their first of the season. Lutz recorded her team-high third (3-6) singles victory. Strand got her second win of the fall and is now 2-7 in singles.
SEPTEMBER 29:
ILINOIS WESLEYAN 8, USF 1
LOCKPORT, Ill. — NCAA Division III Illinois Wesleyan won all but the No. 3 doubles match in securing an 8-1 victory over University of St. Francis Saturday morning at the Challenge Fitness outdoor tennis courts.
The Lady Saints averted the shutout when freshmen Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) and Corrine Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) teamed up to win the No. 3 doubles bout by an 8-4 score.
USF fell in straight sets in all but the No. 6 singles match where sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) extended her match to three sets. Braun pushed her opponent all the way to the end, losing narrowly by scores of 6-4, 5-7 and 10-8.
The Saints also battled to a close finish at No. 5 singles with senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) losing by scores of 7-5 and 6-4. Lutz managed to win four games in the second set of her No. 4 singles contest, but USF was unable to win more than two games in any set in the top three singles matches.
The Lady Saints, now 0-6 on the fall, complete their busy weekend with a match against Clarke (IA) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Challenge Fitness.
NOTES: The victory for Lutz and Koziol came in their first pairing of the season ... Lutz has been a part of three of the four doubles victories the Saints have recorded this fall. She has partnered with five different teammates. Only junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) has joined Lutz with more than one doubles win this season. Overall, Lutz is 3-4 and Metcalf is 2-2. The two teamed together for a 1-1 doubles record ... The Saints are now 3-3 at the No. 5 singles slot with Lutz owning a 2-1 record at the position and Strand a 1-2 mark. USF has won no more than one match at any other singles spot ... Metcalf missed today’s match and will likely miss Sunday’s due to an ankle sprain suffered in practice earlier this week.
SEPTEMBER 21-22:
ITA REGIONALS
SHAWNEE MISSION, Kan. — University of St. Francis managed just two victories in 19 total singles and doubles matches at the 2007 ITA Midwest Regionals hosted by William Jewell College (MO).
The two Saints victories were posted by sophomore Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) and freshman Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) in the first round of the singles consolation bracket. The consolation bracket played just one set to eight points in each match. Braun defeated Heather Robertsen of Bethel (KS) by an 8-4 score, and Koziol topped Carolyn Ruesser of Friends (KS) also by an 8-4 margin.
The Lady Saints return home for a pair of matches next weekend. USF entertains Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday at 10 a.m. and then plays host to Clarke (IA) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played at Challenge Fitness in Lockport.
NOTES: The ITA Regionals marked USF’s first competition in play other than dual meets this fall ... Senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) was the lone Saint to take one of her singles matches to three sets. She dropped her match to Nebraska Wesleyan’s Shelley Baker in the competitive bracket first round by scores of 4-6, 6-1 and 13-11.
SEPTEMBER 16:
QUINCY 6, USF 3
QUINCY, Ill. — University of St. Francis finally got on the board after being blanked in its last two matches but the Lady Saints were unable to win enough matches to defeat NCAA Division II Quincy University Sunday afternoon.
USF got a pair of singles victories and had one doubles winner in the 6-3 loss to the Hawks.
Junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) and freshman Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) captured the wins at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, and Metcalf joined senior Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL) to win at No. 2 doubles.
Metcalf won her singles match in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sarah Harris. Lutz was just as impressive with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Kati Duckworth.
Metcalf and Pickett won their doubles match in convincing fashion as well, knocking off their Quincy foes by an 8-3 score.
All six singles matches were decided in straight sets with only senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) at No. 2 winning as many as four games in a set for USF.
The Saints fell to 0-5 on the season and Quincy evened its record at 1-1.
SEPTEMBER 15:
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 9, USF 0
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Springfield administered University of St. Francis its second straight 9-0 defeat Saturday afternoon in the state’s capital city.
No. 6 singles player Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) came the closest to breaking through for the Lady Saints, losing 6-4 and 6-4 to Hannah Pellouchoud of UIS.
No. 1 singles player Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) also pushed her second set to 10 games with a 6-4 loss after being swept in the first set. No other Saints managed to win more than two games in any of the singles’ sets.
The No. 2 doubles team of Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) and Aleece Pickett (Hillcrest H.S./Country Club Hills, IL) let a 5-3 lead get away in their match and fell 8-6. the other two doubles teams each managed to win just one game.
The loss dropped USF to 0-4 on the season. UIS improved to 1-1. Its loss was to Olivet Nazarene, who whipped the Saints by a 9-0 score earlier in the week.
SEPTEMBER 12:
OLIVET NAZARENE 9, USF 0
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — Olivet Nazarene, the top team in NAIA Region VII a year ago, continued its outstanding play with a 9-0 blanking of University of St. Francis Wednesday at the ONU courts.
Olivet, ranked No. 19 in the final poll of the 2006-07 season and certainly a candidate for a national ranking this season when the first poll is conducted in the spring, lost just a total of five games in the six singles matches and was nearly as dominant in the doubles bouts.
USF No. 1 singles player Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) managed to win one game in each set and No. 5 Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) won two games in her second set after being blanked in the first. Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) won one game in her first set as well.
On the doubles side, USF fell 8-0 at No. 1 and 8-3 in the other two matches. The pairing of Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) and Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) fell 8-3 at No. 2 and the team of Carla Braun (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) and Barb Koziol (Reavis H.S./Burbank, IL) also fell 8-3 at No. 3.
The loss dropped the Lady Saints to 0-3 on the fall season, while Olivet Nazarene moved to 6-0.
NOTES: The loss to Olivet also dropped the Lady Saints to 0-2 in the newly formed Mid-States Tennis Conference. USF earlier dropped a match at St. Ambrose ... Koziol’s appearance on the No. 3 doubles team marked her collegiate debut.
SEPTEMBER 6:
NORTH CENTRAL 7 , USF 2
LOCKPORT, Ill. — NCAA Division III North Central College won five of six singles matches and two of three doubles bouts to give University of St. Francis its second straight loss in the 2007 fall season.
Lady Saints’ senior Vickie Strand (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) captured USF’s only singles victory and teamed with freshman Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) to grab the club’s only doubles win.
Strand defeated NCC’s Tara Madziarek in straight sets (6-1, 7-5) at No. 5 singles, and she and Lutz whipped Madziarek and Molly Link (8-6) at No. 3 doubles.
Lutz and senior Laura Olson (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) were the only other USF singles players to win a set and extend their matches to a third set.
With the win, North Central improved its record to 3-0. The Lady Saints fell to 0-2.
NOTES: The match was USF’s first home contest of the season ... Due to rain, the match was moved to the indoor courts at Challenge Fitness ... Strand joins Lutz and junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) as Saints with a singles victory in one of the first two matches ... Lutz is unbeaten in doubles and has won her two matches with different partners. She teamed with junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) in the first match at St. Ambrose and partnered with Strand in today’s match ... Saturday’s scheduled match with Chicago State has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a date later this fall.
SEPTEMBER 1:
ST. AMBROSE 6 , USF 3
DAVENPORT, Iowa — University of St. Francis opened its 2007-08 campaign with a 6-3 Mid-States Tennis Conference loss at St. Ambrose University on Saturday.
The Queen Bees (1-0) won four of six singles matches and also captured two of the three doubles tilts.
USF’s singles winners were junior Beth Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) at No. 1 and freshman Corinne Lutz (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL) at No. 5.
Frey’s win (7-5, 2-6, 6-3) over St. Ambrose’s Natalie Cox came in her first ever collegiate match at the No. 1 slot. For Lutz, the victory (6-1, 6-2) over Kaitlin Steffenhagen came in her collegiate debut.
The Saints picked up one more point when the team of Lutz and junior Samantha Metcalf (Oak Lawn H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) won at No. 3 doubles (9-7) over SAU’s Emily Anderson and Abby Long.
The Saints return to action on Thursday (Sept. 6) when they play host to North Central College in their home opener. The match begins at 3 p.m. and will be played at Challenge Fitness in Lockport.
NOTES: The match was the first for USF in the newly-formed Mid-States Tennis Conference. The league consists of Clarke (IA), St. Ambrose (IA), Calumet (IN), Olivet Nazarene, Robert Morris and USF.
