Fall ITA Tournament wraps up fall tennis for Southern
Doubles team of Gombosi, Hall makes semifinals

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Missouri Southern's women's tennis team rounded out its fall season of competition on Oct. 1-3, competing at the College Division Wilson/ITA Midwest Region Championships, hosted by Washburn University.

Sophomore Barb Gombosi (Maribor, Slovenia) and freshman Michelle Hall (Lee's Summit, Mo.), the No. 5 seeded team entering the tournament, advanced to the semifinals of the doubles bracket with three victories before falling 9-8 (7-5) to eventual tournament champion Gena Lindsay and Erica Ramirez of Northwest Missouri State. Gombosi and Hall opened with an 8-6 win over Washburn's Alex Rodenbeck and Jennifer Keiner and then defeated Southwest Baptist's team of Valerie Jones and Lauren Hodson, 8-4. The MSSU duo made the semifinals after an 8-1 victory over Truman's Jennifer Salmon and Whitney Hamilton.

Another Southern doubles team, senior Lacey McMunn (Parsons, Kan.) and sophomore Kristen Meschede (Grain Valley, Mo.) posted a 1-1 record in the tournament. McMunn and Meschede opened with an 8-0 victory over Northwest's Megan Curtis and Amy Shafer before the Truman team of Melissa Dudak and Abby Souders, the No. 4 seed in the tourney, won an 8-5 decision.

Freshman Ashton Lawrence (Parsons, Kan.) and sophomore Erin Fritz (Kimberling City, Mo.) lost their first-round match to Missouri Western's Mary Pankiewicz and Alison Wilkinson, 8-5.

In the singles bracket, Gombosi advanced to the third round, going 2-1 on the weekend. Gombosi, seeded ninth entering the tournament, opened with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tammy Liersbach, of Missouri Western and followed up with a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Truman's Salmon. However, eventual singles champ and top seed Gena Lindsay earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Gombosi in the third round.

McMunn and Meschede also posted a victory in singles play. McMunn opened with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph over NWMSU's Shafer before falling to Washburn's Caitlin Day, the No. 13 seed, 6-4, 2-6, 10-3. Meschede started with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Hamilton, of Truman, but was eliminated by Winona State's Michelle Bailey, 6-7, 7-5, 11-9.

Hall, the No. 12 seed entering play, was defeated 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round by Washburn's Julie Huyberechts. Fritz dropped a 7-6, 6-3 decision in the first round to Nebraska-Kearney's McKenna Irwin and Lawrence fell 6-1, 6-3 in the firsr round to Abby Souders, the No. 10 seed in singles, 6-1, 6-3.

Missouri Southern continues the 2004-05 season in the spring.