The ISU women’s tennis team capped off an exciting weekend of tennis action by capturing three titles at the Billiken Tennis Classic in St. Louis, Missouri.

Freshman Kristen Gyaki defeated Cindy Skogerboe of Drake 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, for the singles title in the 5th and 6th seed bracket.

Karin Westburg and Noortje Cornelissen were winners in the top seeded doubles bracket, defeating Drake Bulldogs Cecily Dubusker and Rajasree Kuruvilla, 9-8.

Also for the Cyclones, Edna Vazquez and Courtney Leese defeated Traci Hogan and Cindy Skogerboe of Drake to take the top spot in the 3rd and 4th seeded doubles bracket.

The tournament, which began on Friday and ran through Sunday, was the Cyclones’ first formal competition of the 1999 fall season.

The draw for the tournament was set up to include four singles brackets and two doubles brackets.

Going into the final day of competition, the Cyclones had qualified four singles and two doubles finalists.

That type of consistent play was inspiring to coach Michelle Conlan.

“I really liked what I saw from my team this weekend,” Conlan said. “They often found themselves in some tight matches – sometimes behind – and they continued to play tough, pulling out some close victories.”

Both of the Cyclones’ doubles championships resulted in rallying from 3-6 deficits in order to win.

“This weekend should give our players a lesson that they can be in some tight spots and still pull-out the win. That will help them build confidence in themselves as we go,” Conlan said.

The team’s three other finalists in singles competition included sophomore Noortje Cornelissen, senior Kendra Leese, and freshman Courtney Leese.

Cornelissen won her semi-final match over Nina Sartz-Knudsen of Murray State (6-1, 6-0).

Kendra Leese defeated Erica Hesbelman of Murray State in the semis (3-6, 6-2, 6-1), while younger sister Courtney had a semi-final victory over Sara Anciaux of Southwest Missouri State, winning 7-5, 6-4.

Next up for the Cyclones is an Oct. 21 dual against Drake in Des Moines. Conlan knows that the Bulldogs will surely be a formidable opponent.

“Drake is a very good team,” she said. “They beat us 9-0 last year and went on to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Our players know what they need to work on on an individual basis, and as a team we need to have three great weeks of practice to get ready.”

This last weekend may have provided the team with some added confidence, as they often went head to head with Drake, winning three titles against the Bulldogs. Conlan was quick to mention the fact that there can be no relaxing due to those results.

“Tournaments are much different from duals in that the individual match-ups will be different. We will need our best effort against Drake,” she said.

If the Cyclones can get that effort and combine it with the stamina and determination they showed in St. Louis, Oct. 21 could provide for some great tennis.