By: On a brutally hot day at the Bellatti Tennis Complex, the Lady Blues had the energy to blow past Blackburn.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's tennis team got a confidence-boosting win going into Midwest Conference play on Saturday with an emphatic 8-1 victory over Blackburn College. The Lady Blues are now 1-1 early on this season.
Illinois College jumped out to a 3-0 lead after doubles competition. The No. 1 team of
Kathryn Ryan and
Tamar Norville had no trouble in an 8-1 victory. At No. 2,
Lisa Noggle and
Jovanna Chavez pulled away to make it 2-0 with an 8-3 win. Though Blackburn fought hard at No. 3,
Brianna Pohlman and
Valerie Escudero outlasted the Beavers team for a 9-7 win.
Due to the conditions, two singles matches ended with players retiring. The split of those two left the Lady Blues with a 4-1 lead. Ryan officially ended the match with her 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles. Norville and Chavez each grabbed 6-1, 6-1 wins at Nos. 2 and 4 and Pohlman got the Lady Blues an eighth point with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5.
Illinois College will make its first foray into Midwest Conference play on Sept. 12 and 13. The Lady Blues will face Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Sept. 12 starting at 9:30 a.m. and conclude the weekend on Sept. 13 at Grinnell College at 9 a.m.
