Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Tennis to host Murray State Thursday
02/29/2012 | 12:00:00 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 29, 2012
By Tim McCaughan
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. --The Southern Illinois women's tennis team will host Murray State on Thursday at the Sportsblast, with matches beginning at 3 p.m. This dual will mark the last home match before the Salukis hit the road for five straight.
Series Split
The Southern Illinois women's tennis team and Murray State have met forty-three times in total with the Racers leading the all-time series 25-18. The last time Southern was matched up with Murray Stae was Feb. 27, 2011, when they won the dual 5-2, in Murray, Ky.
Double-Trouble
The Salukis have came out swinging in doubles play this season, combining for a 12-3 dual record. Junior Jennifer Dien and freshman Natasha Tomishima lead the Salukis' with a 4-0 dual record. Anita Lee and Anastacia Simons also account for four double wins with a record of 4-1, while junior Melanie Delsart has played in 4 of Southerns' wins also.
Delsart's ITA Ranking
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has ranked Southern Illinois junior Melanie Delsart at No. 10 in the central region. Delsart joins players from Kansas State, Nebraska, Tulsa, Iowa and Missouri among the top 10 singles players in the region, and was the only Missouri Valley Conference player to rank in the top 10 regionally. "I am very pleased and surprised," Delsart said. "I can only say that we have been working very hard as a team, and being ranked is a result of that."
Quest for 200
Saluki head coach Audra Nothwehr has surpased reached 200 career wins, the last win against Northern Illinois. She enters her fifth season at Southern Illinois with an overall record of 59-43, and 18-14 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Nothwehr enters today's match with a .578 winning percentage while at Southern Illinois.
State of Mind
While Southern has come out in the 2012 season on fire in doubles play, they still have room to improve in singles play. The Salukis come into Thursdays match with a .567 winning percentage in singles competition. "We need to work on our returns and our transition ball," said head coach Audra Nothwehr. "I can see the nerves in some of our freshmen slowly going away after each match, and I think we need to get stronger mentally, some of the players will learn to do this, and it will take longer for some of our younger players."
Players Mentioned
