Box score

EDINBURG, TX—Chicago State won its 11th straight match, defeating NJIT, 4-0, Friday morning in the first match of the 2009 Division I Independent Women's Tennis Tournament hosted by Texas-Pan American.

The unusual score is the result of the tournament format, which calls for incomplete individual matches to be halted as soon as one team achieves the points necessary to clinch a victory. That means the point for doubles is won as soon as one team wins two of the slots and the entire match is over as soon as one team wins four points overall.

The Cougars, who lost their first three matches of the season, but have won all 11 since, defeated the Highlanders by capturing the doubles point and then the points at second singles, fifth singles and sixth singles.

NJIT, which had five players against Chicago State, was at a disadvantage before the match started, having to concede sixth singles and third doubles before a ball had been hit.

As a result of the short lineup, the Highlanders needed to win both of the contested doubles slots to claim the team point for doubles. Chicago State prevented that by winning at second doubles, 8-1. The point at first doubles was not completed and Chicago State won third doubles by default. First doubles was in the second set, incomplete, with the Cougars having won the first set, 6-1.

Having won the doubles point and with the point at sixth singles already in its back pocket by default, Chicago State needed only to win two of the contested singles slots to clinch the match against NJIT.

The Cougars took decisive wins in the two contested singles spots that clinched the match. At second singles, Chicago State's Yosefin Eliza defeated NJIT's Ana Lidon, 6-1, 6-3. And at fifth singles, Cougar Lia Tejoprayitno topped Highlander Dasa Stanimirovic, 6-0, 6-1.

NJIT's number one player, Iulia Doci, had won her first set, 6-2, and was tied at 2-2 in the second set when the match was halted. Fanny Aizier, at number three, had lost her first set, but was leading the second set, and Isha Toor, in the fourth slot, was leading the first set when the match was called.

The Highlanders (11-6) are slated to play host Texas-Pan American at approximately 1 pm Central time to complete the first day's action in the three-day, five-team round robin tournament.

NJIT will face Longwood on Saturday afternoon and Seattle on Sunday morning.