CHICAGO/DEKALB, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois women's tennis earned split at Chicago State and Northern Illinois this past weekend as the Panthers downed the Cougars on Saturday before falling to the Huskies on Sunday by identical 6-1 match scores.
Following the weekend split, the Panthers move to 2-3 overall on the early season.
"Overall I was proud of how we responded to some adversity this weekend," said head coach John Blackburn. "I thought our efforts in singles were steps in the right direction and I thought Amanda's (Dibbs) play in singles stood out for us again."
Versus CSU, Eastern earned the all-important doubles point as the teams of Jennifer Kim/Annie Egan won at No. 3 duos by an 8-2 score, followed by an impressive 9-8 win by the twosome of Merritt Whitley/Janelle Prisner at the top of the lineup.
"We got a big win from Janelle and Merritt on Saturday that swung the momentum our way" added Blackburn, "but overall I feel that we can play stronger doubles as a group. That will definitely be a focus for us this week."
The Panthers would then proceed to take five of six singles matchups, with Whitley earning a come-from-behind three-set win at the No. 2 spot.
The rest of the EIU singles crew would win in straight sets, including 6-0 sweeps by Kristen Laird and Annie Egan at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
Against NIU, the Panthers notched just one singles point as Kim battled back from her loss at CSU the day before to earn a straight set win against her NIU opponent.
Meanwhile, Whitley pushed her NIU opponent to the limit before falling in three in the top of the lineup and Amanda Dibbs dropped a close match at No. 4 singles.
The women will now prepare for a dual match battle alongside the Panther men's squad as both EIU units will travel to IPFW on Feb. 18.
Eastern Illinois at Chicago State
Sat., February 11, 2012 in Chicago, Ill.
(Homewood-Flossmoor Courts)
EIU Women 6, CSU Women 1
Singles
1. Janelle Prisner (EIU) def. Juan Rosalina Tejoprayitno (CSU) - 7-5, 6-2
2. Merritt Whitley (EIU) def. Juan Rosalia Tejoprayitno (CSU) - 3-6, 7-5, 10-3
3. Karyn Emeralda (CSU) def. Jennifer Kim (EIU) - 6-0, 6-2
4. Amanda Dibbs (EIU) def. Ruta Grinvalde (CSU) - 6-1, 6-1
5. Kristen Laird (EIU) def. Mysta Townsell (CSU) - 6-0, 6-0
6. Annie Egan (EIU) def. Mia Townsell (CSU) - 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Whitley/Prisner (EIU) def. Tejoprayitno/Tejoprayitno (CSU) - 9-8
2. Emeralda/Grinvalde (CSU) def. Dibbs/Laird (EIU) - 8-4
3. Kim/Egan (EIU) def. Townsell/Townsell (CSU) - 8-2
Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois
Sun., February 12, 2012 in DeKalb, Ill.
(Boylan Tennis Center)
NIU Women 6, EIU Women 1
Singles
1. Sara McLaughlin (NIU) def. Merritt Whitley (EIU) - 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
2. Nelle Youel (NIU) def. Janelle Prisner (EIU) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Jennifer Kim (EIU) def. Emily Rogers (NIU) - 6-3, 6-1
4. Haley Dekkinga (NIU) def. Amanda Dibbs (EIU) - 7-6, 6-5
5. Mary Malkin (NIU) def. Kristen Laird (EIU) - 6-0, 6-4
6. Arantza De La Torre (NIU) def. Annie Egan (EIU) - 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. McLaughlin/Rogers (NIU) def. Whitley/Prisner (EIU) - 8-2
2. Youel/De La Torre (NIU) def. Dibbs/Laird (EIU) - 8-4
3. Dekkinga/Stephanie McDonald (NIU) def. Kim/Egan (EIU) - 8-2
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
