A weekend that began with misfortune off the tennis courts ended on a positive note for SIUC’s women’s tennis team on them.

The Salukis’ team van was broken into while the squad stopped at a restaurant in St. Louis to eat. Several SIUC players’ bags were stolen, along with jackets and coach Judy Auld’s briefcase.

The Salukis, unshaken by the incident, went on to capture three individual singles titles at the 1995 Missouri Valley Conference Fall Invitational in St. Louis last weekend. SIUC also won one singles consolation title and two doubles consolation titles.

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An intense, positive attitude on the court was key in Saluki victories. Sophomore Sanem Berksoy, who defeated Wichita State’s Jane White for the No. 3 singles crown, said her frame of mind was crucial to her play throughout the tournament.

I wanted to win, so I didn’t get down mentally even though some bad things happened this weekend. she said.

No. 5 singles champion Helen Johnson said her mental game carried her through the competition.

In my first two matches I was kind of nervous, but then I realized if I wasn’t aggressive, I wasn’t going to win, she said.

Johnson defeated Dana Lomshek of Wichita State in straight sets to secure the title. Johnson exacted a small measure of revenge, as she had lost to Lomshek in last year’s competition.

I liked the fact I played Dana (Lomshek) in the finals because I lost to her last year, Johnson said. It meant even more to me to beat her in the finals.

Auld said Johnson is developing into a more competitive player, in part because of her focus on the court.

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Helen has won a lot of matches this fall because of her mental game, she said. Ultimately you’re going to mature and win a lot more matches with the mental game. She has kept herself in matches.

Aggressive play and offensive tennis also aided the Saluki attack. The squad did not bow to the competition and played their game during the tournament.

Junior Patricia Zihler, who won the No. 4 singles title for SIUC, said her offensive attack helped her defeat opponents.

I kept attacking everything, she said. If I would have gone into their game, I would have started losing. I stuck to my game and that’s what made me win.

Auld said Zihler played tough in her final match against Tulsa’s Heidi Brown.

This was a good confidence builder for her, she said. She really turned it on in the second set.

Auld said SIUC landed a good draw in the tournament. Players said the level of competition they faced was tough, but it was worth the challenge. Zihler said she felt the matches she played were at her level of competition.

I think everybody got pretty lucky with the draw, she said. That definitely helped. My draw was at my level. If I would have lost any matches, I would have been upset with myself.

Auld said consistent performances, such as those from her squad in St. Louis, are necessary to win matches.

That’s how you win, she said. You’ve got to have people (play well) throughout the line up.

Although the tournament was scored individually, the entire SIUC squad is feeling confident as a result of the strong finishes.

We just have to keep improving, Berksoy said. If we can improve at this rate, I think we can do real well.

Teammate Molly Card said the competition also gave the team a better perspective for the spring season.

It was a great tournament for the team, she said. It showed us some schools that we’ll be right up there with. We pretty much know who are team’s competition will be for spring.

Johnson said she hopes the momentum and intensity of the team will carry over into the future.

Things are going well, she said. I just want to keep them going.