Southern Illinois University
Nicholls State
Delsart, Women's Tennis conquer Lady Colonels
03/11/2010 | 12:00:00 | Women's Tennis
March 11, 2010
By Michael Benson
www.SIUSalukis.com
THIBODAUX, La. - Freshman Melanie Delsart came through with a huge third set, allowing Southern Illinois to escape Thibodaux, La., with a 4-3 win Thursday against the Nicholls State Lady Colonels.
"It came down to Melanie's singles match at No. 1 singles and she really stepped it up in the third set and dominated," said Saluki head coach Audra Nothwehr. "I was really impressed with how she stayed positive and handled the pressure. It was a good rebound from yesterday."
The top singles match pitted Delsart against NSU's Florina Nosca. After capturing the first set, Delsart had an opportunity to take the match in straight sets. However, Nosca was able to swipe the tiebreaker and bring the match to a final set. The Saluki freshman rose to the occasion and won the match, downing Nosca 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2.
Emily Whitney and Jennifer Dien returned to their winning ways against the Lady Colonels, each capturing their No. 3 and No. 4 singles matches in straight sets, respectively. Whitney topped Tatiana Denezhkina 7-5, 6-3, while Dien slipped past Sumana Kalyanasundarm 6-3, 7-6 (6-4).
Senior Michela Cruise moved further in her injury comeback by netting her first win of the season. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native easily defeated Melissa Harrison 6-1, 6-1, to take No. 6 singles.
The Saluki duo of Delsart and Martina Vianna Ce made the most of their debut at No. 1 doubles. The pair posted the Dawgs' lone doubles win with an 8-6 win against NSU's Nosca and Denezhkina.
Southern finishes up their spring break trip Friday back in the Crescent City when they take on the University of New Orleans Privateers. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the University Tennis Center.
Players Mentioned
