One match into the season and the Lady Lions tennis team already has something to work on — footwork.

“One of the common threads was footwork, which we work on every day in practice,” said Julie Wengert, head tennis coach. “It just seems to really get everybody in a match. You get tired, and foot work starts to fall, which causes you to start doing incorrect technique.”

Wengert said the team will be working on footwork technique in the upcoming weeks, so “they might regret saying that footwork was something that they needed to work on.”

In the singles match, Sheryl Posch, junior, was defeated by an old rival, Suzanne Fry (1-6, 7-5, 10-1). Wengert said Posch used to play Fry in Kansas when she “was growing up in juniors.”

Because Missouri Southern was playing at Millennium Tennis & Fitness Club, it shortened the matches. Instead of playing the third match, Posch and Fry played a 10-point tie breaker, or “super breaker.” Kim McMunn, freshman, said she was pleased with the way she played on Feb. 22. She said she was most nervous about her doubles match, where she was paired with Amy Stredney, junior. The pair defeated Kelle Stinson and Jackie Gilmore (8-4). In the singles, Kim McMunn defeated Birgit Daechert (6-1, 6-0).

Wengert said Stredney, who transferred from Cowley College, was nervous about playing in front of her old coach and teammates in her singles match. However, Stredney defeated Gilmore (7-5, 6-1).

“In the first match of the season, everyone is pretty nervous, and it showed,” Wengert said.

Also in the winners circle were Posch and Lacey McMunn, sophomore, who defeated Fry and Jill Hocker (8-2) in a doubles match. In the singles, Lacey McMunn won against Hocker (6-2, 6-0). Halee Phillips, sophomore, and Stephanie Johnson, freshman, lost to Daechert and Kayla Strange (8-0). Phillips was defeated by Stinson (6-2, 6-2) and Johnson was defeated by Strange (6-0, 6-0).

The final score was Southern 5, Cowley 4.

The next match is Friday and Saturday in Lawton, Okla., at the Cameron University Tournament.