~WOMEN/S TENNIS ain pounded down on the tennis court, drenching junior Margareta Dujrnovic as she ran to return the ball at the opening of the first game of the Harding University Invitational in March 2004. Dujrnovic said one slide on the slippery court was all it took to bring her to the ground in pain. "They thought from the beginning that I had tom my ACL, and it turned out I had." Dujmovic said. "It swelled up like a gigantic baseball." Dujmovic said her injury was difficult at first because she could not play tennis the rest of the spring semester. "It was depressing/' Dujrnovic said. "I couldn't start playing again until the summer, and even then,I still needed to use my leg brace." Rather then discouraging her, Dujrnovic said her injury motivated her to try harder and play better. "When you realize you can't do it anymore, you're more determined when you can:' Dujmovic said. Dujmovic earned a 9-5 record for the season. Teammate sophomore Milena Chisaca, the second-seeded player, said the team had a difficult time without Dujrnovic. "It was a hard time because we really didn't have very many players," Chisaca said. Another teammate, sophomore Denise Pascuzzi, said that although the Lady Bisons struggled without Dujmovic, they were able to handle it. "It was tough in that Margareta is an amazing player and brought extra strength to our team:' Pascuzzi said. Pascuzzi said when Dujrnovic was injured, all the women on the team moved up one rank. The Lady Bisons ranked fifth out of nine teams in the West Division, and had an overall record of 15-10 and a Gulf South Conierence record of 4-4. Chisaca, GSC tennis honoree, posted a team-best 17-6 singles record, including a 13-2 mark at No.2 doubles. Dujmovic said she was going to play in the spring of 2005, despite the fact that her ACL, like all injuries of its kind, will never completely heal. She was thirdseeded among the seven players on the women's tennis team. Pascuzzi said in spite of the inconvenience, set backs like Dujrnovic's injury helped unite the team. "We are a family," Pascuzzi said. "We all work together." - LISA BLOUNT ATHLETICS - 268
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