ST. PETER, Minn. – Augustana women's tennis defeated Minnesota State (1-1 NSIC) by an 8-1 victory, followed by a 9-0 shutout over Southwest Minnesota State (0-4, 0-3 NSIC) in their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener on Saturday. The Vikings improve to 5-1, 2-0 in the NSIC.

Augustana 8, Minnesota State 1
In the first of their two conference matches, Augustana handled the Mavericks with ease, posting an 8-1 victory to start the NSIC season.

Starting with doubles, Jessa Richards and Sydney Postal teamed up to take MSU's Sarah McCann and Killian Doran by an 8-1 victory. The Mavericks Melissa Mashburn and Destiny Lee battled against Christine Olivo and Heather Sullivan at the No. 2 doubles to edge the Vikings duo, 9-7.

Jenna Helleberg and Meredith Lawrence gave Augustana an 8-3 win at the third doubles flight to head into singles with a 2-1 lead.

Richards then started the Vikings on their quest for a singles sweep, winning 6-0, 6-3 at the top spot. Postal secured the win in three-sets for Augustana with a 4-6, 6-2, and 6-3 win and Olivo took her No. 3 singles match by a score of 7-5, 6-2.

At No. 4, Berkley Darr posted her third straight win of the year in a three-set match with a 6-1, 4-6, and 6-3 victory.  Helleberg and Lawrence then put the finishing touches on the victory, winning 8-1 over Minnesota State to earn their first conference victory. 

Augustana 9, Southwest Minnesota State 0
For the fifth consecutive year, the Vikings defeated Southwest Minnesota State by the score of 9-0. Augustana cruised in all three doubles matches, dropping just three games giving the Vikings a 3-0 edge entering singles competition.
 
At No. 1 singles, Postal battled an inconsistent start before returning to her steady, dominant style of play. Postal came away with her fourth win of the season, a 6-0, 6-2 victory to get Augustana started in singles.
 
Darr overcame a sluggish start to her match, but still came away with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles.
 
Lawrence's steady play gave her a sixth straight win to start the season, this time in 6-1, 6-1 fashion at the No. 3 singles. No. 4 singles player Sullivan continues to improve and show off her overpowering game with a 6-0, 6-0 win. Motley rolled in her No. 5 singles match, winning 6-2, 6-2 for the second time this season.
 
Earning the No. 6 singles spot for the weekend, Katie McLaughlin showcased varying styles of play on the way to a 6-4 6-2 win and the Vikings' second 9-0 win of the season.
 
Augustana will return to the court on Feb. 21 when they travel to Bismarck, N.D. to compete against U-Mary and Minnesota State-Moorhead.