SIUC women’s golf coach Diane Daugherty is still searching for satisfaction after the Saluki’s 1995 fall season.

I’m not sure any coach is satisfied, she said. Golf is a game where you can never achieve perfection. I don’t think any good golfer can ever truly be satisfied.

The team has made strides towards achieving this elusive perfection.

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Daugherty said her squad showed improvement and gained valuable experience in each of the four tournaments SIUC competed in this fall.

The fall was very encouraging, she said. We treat the fall as an experience-gaining time.

Three seniors, two juniors, two freshmen and one sophomore round out this year’s Saluki roster. Daugherty said fall play allows the younger members of the squad to make an easier transition to college golf.

It’s almost like they come back as veterans (in the spring), she said. The four tournaments make a great deal of difference.

Players also have the chance to find and develop their roles on the team.

Each player found their niche on the team, Daugherty said.

Learning to handle the pressures and frustration that come from playing the No. 1 spot for the team was a difficult process for Salukis Stacy Skillman and Molly Hudgins.

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Skillman, who played No. 1 for SIUC going into the 1995 Lady Kat Invitational after her fourth-place finish at the Illinois State Classic Sept. 9-10, said the fall season helped her learn to play under conditions she has never experienced before.

It was a learning experience because I’ve been put under pressure that I’ve never been put under before, she said.

Hudgins played in the No. 1 position for the Salukis in three of their four fall outings. She said although it took time to adjust to the pressure of playing No. 1, she now views it as a positive experience.

It took me the first tournament to learn how to handle the pressure, she said. Now it’s a positive thing. I don’t feel the pressure as much even though it is there.

Daugherty said Hudgins handled the extra stress extremely well.

There is pressure just being in the No. 1 spot, she said. Molly found her own. Molly grabbed the bull by the horns and claimed her spot.

Both Skillman and Hudgins were named 1995-96 Missouri Valley Conference Golfers of the Week this season.

Daugherty said SIUC developed a sense of self-confidence during the season that reflected in her players’ lower scores on the golf course.

They discovered that they are capable, she said.

Hudgins said her teammates’ confidence in her provided a boost to her level of play.

It helped my confidence a lot to know my teammates had confidence in me, she said.

I think that their confidence helped me get more confidence.

The Salukis faced a tougher field of competition this season than they had in the past. The majority of competitors in the last three tournaments represented Big 10 schools.

Senior Kristen Oglesby said the team adjusted to the increase in the intensity of the field.

We got off to a great start and then there was a lack of concentration in the middle, she said. Then we brought it back together for a strong finish.

Hudgins said the competitiveness of this fall will prepare the squad for a tough spring season. SIUC will take on a variety of non-conference schools from the South that play golf year-round.

In spring, until we get to our conference meet, we don’t play anyone in conference, she said.

Skillman said she hopes the team continues to develop the fundamentals learned this fall for use in spring competition.

We found out what we need to work on, she said. If we follow that, we’ll be a whole lot better in the spring.