I can only look at the positive, she said. I thought last year was a good season, but I think this fall was even better.

SIUC showed it was a strong team from the beginning of the season at the Indiana Invitational, Sept. 15-17, when many players placed among the top 10 finishers in their flights.

The Salukis continued to play hard when they hosted Louisville, Memphis and Oral Roberts Sept. 29-30. The squad defeated all three schools and swept Oral Roberts winning all six singles flights of the tournament.

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At the Missouri Valley Conference Fall Invitational, SIUC captured three championship singles titles.

The squad experienced a decrease in intensity at the Louisville Invitational, but still brought home the No. 3 doubles and No. 5 singles crowns, as well as two consolation titles.

The intensity increased as Sanem Berksoy and Melva McNeil won the No. 3 doubles flight title at the Memphis Invitational Oct. 27-29.

SIUC rounded out its season at full strength Sunday, with Liz Gardner capturing the singles title at the Illinois Midwest Regional Invitational.

Auld said the squad’s maturity on the court and consistently strong performances led SIUC to a winning season.

Sophomore Molly Card agreed with Auld, and said the experience she and her teammates gained last year made them better players.

All of us had more experience and that’s what made us do better, she said. The experience is starting to pay off in some of our matches.

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Sanem Berksoy, who played No. 3 singles and doubles for SIUC this fall, said the team improved throughout the season.

I think we started out well at the I U tournament and we kept improving, she said.

Helen Johnson, Card’s doubles partner who also played No. 5 singles this semester, said even though the team played well in the first half of the year, players need to remain intense for spring competition, especially in doubles.

The whole team needs to work on doubles, because that’s the deciding factor, she said. We need to keep on practicing and keep doing what we’re doing. Now that we’re all set in our doubles, we can start focusing on winning and playing more aggressive doubles.

Auld said she planned to stress doubles work to her squad heading into the spring season.

I know that doubles is going to win matches for us, she said. As a coach, I have to keep looking for consistently aggressive play and consistently good doubles. If you do the basics right, it lets you in the matches.

Melva McNeil, the second half of SIUC’s No. 3 doubles team, said she was impressed with how she and Berksoy developed into a solid combination on the court.

We’ve started using signals and have started to come together really well, she said. We kind of know how each other plays now. We are working collectively as a team.

Auld said Berksoy and McNeil are one of the most improved doubles teams so far this year.

Sanem and Melva, as far as being a new doubles team, have improved greatly over the fall, she said.

McNeil said she and her teammates are excited for the upcoming season.

The people we lost to in the very beginning of the season better watch out for us in the spring, because here we come, she said.