LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (2/24/07) ? Arkansas State picked up its first victory when the Lady Indians defeated Division II No. 10-ranked Drury, 5-2, Saturday afternoon at Burns Park. ASU is now 1-4 and Drury is 0-1 after losing the season opener at the UALR Quad in Burns Park.

ASU picked up wins in all singles matches with the exception of No. 1. Maria Oprea, who has been ill the last several days, dropped her match, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to DU's Mouna Sabri.

“I think we're improving,” said ASU Head Coach Marcia Williams. “ Maria is back, but she isn't 100 percent. She was able to play her way through doubles, though.”

Zeljka Minic defeated Drury's Alejandra Miranda-Sanchez, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 2 and Paula Chelminska beat Khrystine Tryboi, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 at No. 3. At No. 4 singles, ASU's Ron? Van Wyk handed Eva Hankova a 6-4, 6-1 loss at No. 4, and Rene? Branker defeated Drury's Thu Ha Mai, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5. Ashlesha Lokhande rounded out ASU's singles scoring by dropping Megan Blosser, 6-0, 6-1.

Drury captured the doubles point when Mai and Miranda-Sanchez defeated Chelminska, 8-4 in No. 1 play and Blosser and Hankova knocked off Van Wyk and Lokhande, 8-3 at No. 3. Oprea and Branker won 9-8 over Drury's Sabri and Tryboi.

“We still have a lot to work on,” continued Williams. “I'm disappointed in our doubles play.”

ASU also captured two singles victories, but dropped the overall match, 5-2, to Sun Belt Conference foe Troy University Friday night at the UALR Quad at Burns Park.

Ron? Van Wyk defeated Troy's Stephanie Vieira, 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 in No. 4 singles and Rene? Branker knocked off Caroline Jouanin, 2-6, 6-0, 1-0 in No. 5 play.

In other results, ASU's Maria Oprea dropped her No. 1 singles match to Rawia Elsisi, 6-0, 6-0, while Troy's Annabelle Bares defeated Zeljka Minic, 6-1, 6-0. Paula Chelminska lost to TU's Claudia Strauss, 6-1, 6-4, and Nicole Shaw defeated ASU's Ashlesha Lokhande, 0-6, 7-6, 1-0.

Troy swept the doubles point when Minic and Chelminska lost to Elsisi and Strauss, 8-6 in No. 1 and Troy's Bares and Vieira defeated Branker and My-Hang Nguyen, 8-3 in No. 2. Van Wyk and Lokhande fell, 8-3, to Shaw and Jouanin in No. 3.

ASU will be back home March 3 to host Alabama-Birmingham in a makeup match at Allen Park. Action gets underway at 11 a.m.

ARKANSAS STATE 5, DRURY 2 SINGLES No. 1 Mouna Sabri (DU) df. Maria Oprea (ASU), 4-6 No. 2 Zelja Minic (ASU) df. Alejandra Miranda-Sanchez (DU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 No. 3 Paula Chelminska (ASU) df. Khrystine Tryboi (DU), 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 No. 4 Rone Van Wyk (ASU) df. Eva Hankova (ASU), 6-4, 6-1 No. 5 Renee Branker (ASU) df. Thu Ha Mai (DU), 6-2, 6-3 No. 6 Ashlesha Lokhande (ASU) df. Megan Blosser (DU), 6-0, 6-1

DOUBLES No. 1 Mai/Miranda-Sanchez (DU) df. Chelminska/Minic (ASU), 8-4 No. 2 Oprea/Branker (ASU) df. Sabri/Tryboi (DU), 9-8 No. 3 Blosser/Hankova (DU) df. Van Wyk/Lokhande (ASU), 8-3

TROY 5, ARKANSAS STATE 2 SINGLES No. 1 Rauia Elsisi (TU) df. Maria Oprea (ASU), 6-0, 6-2 No. 2 AnnaBelle Bares (TU) df. Zelja Minic (ASU), 6-1, 6-1 No. 3 Claudia Strauss (TU) df. Paula Chelminska (ASU), 6-2, 6-4 No. 4 Rone Van Wyk (ASU) df. Stephanie Viera (TU), 7-6, 0-6, 10-6 No. 5 Renee Branker (ASU) df. Caroline Jouvanin (TU), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 No. 6 Nicole Shaw (TU) df. Ashlesha Lokhande (ASU), 1-6, 7-6, 11-9

DOUBLES No. 1 Elsisi/Strauss (TU) df. Minic/Chelminska (ASU), 8-6 No. 2 Bares/Vieira (TU) df. Branker/My-Hang Nguyen (ASU), 8-3 No. 3 Shaw/Jojanin (TU) df. Van Wyk/Lokhande (ASU), 8-3

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