WOMEN'S TENNIS: LeTourneau opens season with a 6-3 win at Howard Payne

BROWNWOOD, Texas – The LeTourneau women's tennis team opened its Spring, 2011 season by defeating Howard Payne 6-3. The visiting YellowJackets won four singles matches and two doubles matches Thursday.

"I was very impressed with their performance," LeTourneau women's head coach Randy Namanny said of his team. "They did a great job today. It was a well-fought match for them."

No. 1 singles player Sarah Case (Van Alstyne, Texas/North Central Texas College) dominated in her LeTourneau debut. The freshman transfer easily claimed a 6-1, 6-0 decision from HPU's Gabi Crunelle.

Case also teamed with senior Brooke Kincade (Sugar Land, Texas/Elkins) as the YellowJackets No. 2 doubles pairing and rolled to an 8-2 win over Whitney Turnacliff and Samantha Guerrero.

Kincade (pictured), Caitlyn Harrell (San Marcos, Texas/San Marcos) and Kayla Bonina (Carrollton, Texas/Carrollton) also picked up singles wins in straight sets. Harrell defeated HPU's Cassie Emerson 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 2 singles match.

Kincade, the Jackets' No. 4 player, had little trouble putting away Guerrero, winning their match 6-1, 6-0. Bonina, a two-sport LeTourneau athlete who also starred on the volleyball team, claimed a 6-3, 6-2 win over Stephanie Stokes.

All six players who took the court for the YellowJackets tasted victory Thursday. Miranda Lamb (Burkburnett, Texas/Burkburnett) and April McCamey (Stephenville, Texas/Dublin) claimed a hard-fought 9-7 win in the No. 3 doubles pairing over Emerson and Emilee Stephens.

Lamb and McCamey were on the court longer than any of their LETU teammates. Though each player lost their respective singles match, both gave strong performances in three-set decisions.

Lamb fell to Lillie Davis by scores of 2-6, 6-3, 4-6, while McCamey succumbed to Stephens in a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 3-10 match.

Hairell and Bonina paired as the No. 1 doubles match for the YellowJackets, but lost to Crunelle and Davis by a score of 4-8.

The Jackets will complete their road trip to Central Texas when they face Hardin-Simmons and McMurry in Abilene on Friday. They will visit McMurry at 9 a.m. and then travel across town to meet Hardin-Simmons for a 2:30 p.m. match.