Sept. 9, 2000

NKU OPENS SEASON WITH 9-0 VICTORY

Norse defeat SIUE in Horton’s debut

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Junior No. 1 singles player Jamie O’Hara rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the second set Saturday to post a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Kim Mulherin as the Northern Kentucky University women’s tennis team defeated Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, 9-0, in head coach J. Webb Horton’s debut with the Norse. O’Hara, who is now 23-0 all-time against GLVC opponents, won the first set against Mulherin by a 6-4 score. Mulherin, though, built a 5-0 lead in the second set and appeared on the verge of sending the match to a third set. O’Hara, the two-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, rallied and won the set, 7-6, taking the tiebreaker by a 7-4 score. She also teamed with Claudia Ruehl and won at No. 1 doubles by an 8-5 score over the team of Mulherin and Laura Zeeb. Other winners in singles for NKU (1-0) were Lauren Spears, Elizabeth Brunsman, Joceline McQueen, Amity Chapman and Claudia Ruehl. The doubles teams of O’Hara-Ruehl, Spears-Brunsman and Chapman-Christina Dausch also were victorious on Saturday. NKU has not lost to a GLVC opponent since the 1997 season and owns back-to-back GLVC titles. NKU 9, SIUE 0 O’Hara defeated Mulherin, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Spears defeated Stanley, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Brunsman defeated Zeeb, 6-4, 6-2; McQueen defeated Reich, 6-0, 6-2; Chapman defeated Keener, 7-5, 6-1; Ruehl defeated DeLaney, 6-1, 6-2; O’Hara-Ruehl defeated Mulherin-Zeeb, 8-5; Spears-Brunsman defeated Stanley-Reich, 8-3; Chapman-Dausch defeated Keener-Wohltman, 8-5. RECORDS: NKU 1-0, 1-0 GLVC; SIUE 1-1, 1-1 GLVC.