May 11, 2002

"I think our team came out and played with a great desire to win the match," said Furman head coach Debbie Southern. "We really wanted to advance to the second round of the tournament. They all came out and were willing to do whatever it takes to win the match."

Furman seized the momentum from the start by taking the doubles point. At No. 2, Furman's Mary Kovarik and Caroline Bentley defeated Tami Botts and Amy McIlhaney, 8-3. Gene Holman and Mary Neill Hagood then clinched the match's opening point by beating LSU's Perri Budd and Amanda Mang at the No. 3 spot, 8-4.

The Lady Paladins jumped to a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-1 Bentley victory against Bonnie White at No. 6. Kovarik then pushed Furman's lead to 3-0 when she beat Racio Fantilli 6-0, 6-3 at the No. 2 position.

LSU briefly bounced back when Megan Dunigan lost her first match of the year to Bruna Colosio, 6-3, 6-4, but Furman halted any attempt at a comeback when Hagood recorded a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Mang at the No. 4 spot to clinch the victory.

With the win, Furman moves on to face the winner of the North Carolina-Loyola (Md.) match on Sunday at North Carolina's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.

No. 52 Furman 4, No. 48 LSU 1
May 11, 2002
Singles Results
1. Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. Megan Dunigan (Furman), 6-3, 6-4
2. Mary Kovarik (Furman) def. Racio Fantilli (LSU), 6-0, 6-3
3. Tami Botts (LSU) vs. Gene Holman (Furman), suspended
4. Mary Neill Hagood (Furman) def. Amanda Mang (LSU), 6-3, 7-5
5. Amy McIlhaney (LSU) vs. Natalie The (Furman), suspended
6. Caroline Bentley (Furman) def. Bonnie White (LSU), 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Results
1. Megan Dunigan/Natalie The (Furman) vs. Bruna Colosio/Rocio Fantilli (LSU), suspended
2. Caroline Bentley/Mary Kovarik (Furman) def. Tami Botts/Amy McIlhaney (LSU), 8-3
3. Mary Neil Hagood/Gene Holman (Furman) def. Perri Budd/Amanda Mang (LSU), 8-4