~!INJURIESto 2~revisit nationals After receivng an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2002, the Lady Bisons concluded their season ranked 28th nationally. TheLady Bisons looked to revisit the national competition in 2003. "From the beginning of the season, we despa– rately wanted to go back to nationals," senior Carolina Banuelos said. "We pushed ourselves to qualify for the third year in a row." The team opened it spring season with a 9-0 victory over the Hendrix Lady Warriors. The victory produced the 200th win for the women's tennis program, and it developed the winning pace to take the Lady Bisons to the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bisons posted a 15-8 record during the regular season, despite being plagued by injuries throughout the season. "The injury of [junior] Marcella [Chisaca] placed the team in a difficult position," Banuelos said. "We were playing hard to make nationals so each player had to step up a position to help the team." Based on their record, the Lady Bisons ended the regular season ranked as the fourth seed in the Gulf South Conference West Division. At the GSC Tournament April 18-19, the Lady Bisons fell to West Florida, the na tion's top-ranked team, 5-0 in the first round. They bounced back, however, with a 5-0 win against North Alabama in the consolation round. The team's performance at the tournament, along w ith its winning season record, fostered its third consecutive bid to nationals. The team participated in the South Regional in Pensacola, Fla., May 2. At the tournament, the Valdosta State Lady Blazers swept the Lady Bisons 5-0. Although the Lady Bisons faced elimination in the first round at nationals, they achieved suc– cess as a team and as individuals. "All season, we took time to get to know each other off the court so we could play better as a team on the court," Banuelos said. "This is a strength for our team and it led us to nationals again." -Emily Sane women's tennis11245
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