GREENVILLE, S.C.-- The Furman women's tennis team (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) notched its first win of the season when the Lady Paladins defeated a tough Illinois State (0-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley) squad 5-2 this afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center.

Furman began by taking the doubles point from the Redbirds. At the No. 2 position, the Lady Paladins' Natalie The and Marti Morris beat Laura Gravino and Alana Hoffman, 8-2. Furman then clinched the match's opening point with an 8-3 Mary Neill Hagood-Krista Thomson victory at No. 3 against Shelby Lipson and Ashley Maxwell. Furman's lone doubles setback came at No. 1, where Mary Kovarik and Caroline Bentley dropped an 8-1 decision to Illinois State's Liina Suurvarik and Alesia Mikalayeva.

In singles action, The earned a 6-0, 6-1 triumph at No. 3 against Illinois State's Emily Sechaud. Furman's Shannon Moore then defeated Elizabeth Bingier at No. 4 in a tough three-set battle, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Hagood clinched the Lady Paladin victory when she downed Mikalayeva at the No. 2 slot, 7-5, 7-6 (4). Morris also earned a Lady Paladin victory when she defeated Lipson at No. 6, 6-2, 6-0.

The Lady Paladins suffered singles setbacks at the No. 1 and No. 5 positions. While Suurvarik downed Kovarik 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1, Gravino defeated Furman's Shellie Cochran at No. 5, 7-5, 6-3.

Furman will look to earn its second consecutive victory when the Lady Paladins travel to Chicago, Illinois to face the 12th ranked Northwestern Wildcats on January 31st.

No. 58 Furman 5, Illinois State 2
January 25, 2003
Singles Results
1. No. 94 Liina Suurvarik (ISU) def. Mary Kovarik (FU), 6-4, 6-1
2. Mary Neill Hagood (FU) def. Alesia Mikalayeva (ISU), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
3. Natalie The (FU) def. Emilie Sechaud (ISU), 6-0, 6-1
4. Shannon Moore (FU) def. Elizabeth Bingier (ISU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
5. Laura Gravino (ISU) def. Shellie Cochran (FU), 7-5, 6-3
6. Marti Morris (FU) def. Shelby Lipson (ISU), 6-2, 6-0
Doubles Results
1. No. 34 Suurvarik/Mikalayeva (ISU) def. Kovarik/Caroline Bentley (FU), 8-1
2. The/Morris (FU) def. Gravino/Alana Hoffman (ISU), 8-2
3. Hagood/Krista Thomson (FU) def. Lipson/Ashley Maxwell (ISU), 8-3