May 14, 2007

MOBILE, Ala. - Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) knocked off Nebraska Wesleyan 9-0 to race into the second round of the 2007 NAIA Women's Tennis Tournament in Mobile, Ala., marking one of two shut outs in eight first-round matches at the Mobile Tennis Center.

Oklahoma Christian would grab the other 9-0 win, topping Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) to move into the second round. A pair of Region XIV rivals moved into the second round by carding 8-1 victories, as Embry-Riddle (Fla.) moved past Southwestern (Kan.) while Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) got by Mobile (Ala.) on the tournament's first day.

Three matches finished with 6-3 final scores, as Lindenwood (Mo.), Southern Nazarene (Okla.) and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) moved into the second round by beating Indiana Wesleyan, Walsh (Ohio) and Lee (Tenn.).

The first round's closest match came in the form of a 5-4 win by Union (Ky.), as the Bulldogs took out Shorter (Ga.) after falling behind 2-1 in doubles competition. The Bulldogs went on to fall further behind, losing in both No. 1 and No. 2 singles, but four-straight singles wins between No. 3 and No. 6 enabled Union to push through into the second round.

Play continues Tuesday with second round matches getting under way at 1 p.m. in Mobile. Fans can follow all of the results by logging on to www.naia.org and clicking on the Women's Tennis Championship home page.