EDWARDSVILLE - SIUE tennis made quick work of their competition in the Cougar Invite, leading the four-team field with a 23-4 overall record on the weekend. The Cougars commanded the competition in both singles and doubles play, finishing with a 15-3 mark in singles and an impressive 8-1 in doubles.

SIUE 7, WIU 0
SIUE began the round-robin tournament by taking down Western Illinois in singles competition, dropping just one singles set en route to a shutout win. The match saw true freshman Amber Hochstatter claim her first collegiate singles win, earning a 6-3, 6-2 win in the No. 3 position. Jordan Schifano took a straight-set victory in the No. 1 spot, as did Jill Lambrechts (No. 2), Vanessa Reinicke (No. 4), and Caitlyn Sporing (No. 6).

SIUE 4, BRADLEY 3
The Cougars' closest match of the weekend came against the Bradley Braves. The Cougars' secured the doubles point in convincing fashion, winning all three sets over the Braves. Singles play was split down the middle, as Lambrechts (No. 1), Schifano (No. 2), and Fabiola Perez (No. 5) each earned singles victories. Melissa Vizcardo narrowly dropped her singles fixture in the No. 4 position, falling in three sets.

SIUE 7, EIU 0
SIUE returned to their commanding form against Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois, as the Cougars claimed straight set victories in five of six singles matches. In doubles play, the Cougars took two of three matches.

TOURNAMENT RECORDS

1. SIUE (23-4)
2. Bradley (18-8)
3. Eastern Illinois (7-20)
4. Western Illinois (6-20)

COACH'S CORNER

"I am extremely proud of the way our entire team came out and competed this weekend. We saw a lot of growth in our doubles play and how we finished matches."

"Our depth and conditioning were great highlights on the courts. After missing Fall competition last year, this was a perfect first step for our team."

QUICK HITS

• Jordan Schifano and Jill Lambrechts rotated between the No. 1 and No. 2 singles position, combining for a perfect 6-0 record on the weekend and dropping just one set between the two.
• Melissa Vizcardo and Caitlyn Sporing led the Cougars in doubles play, picking up victories against all three opposing teams.
• True freshman Amber Hochstatter made her SIUE debut this weekend, picking up a singles victory and teaming with Schifano to go a perfect 2-0 in doubles play.

NEXT UP
The Cougars will make their first road trip of the fall season next weekend, making the short drive north to Macomb for a weekend tournament at Western Illinois.

 

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