By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC - A season ago the Dowagiac varsity tennis team won just one match.
On Thursday, the Chieftains picked up their third consecutive victory as it edged visiting Buchanan, 5-3.
The match was big for many reasons, most importantly because the Lady Bucks were one of the teams that Dowagiac tied with for the 2004 Division 4 regional championship.
On Thursday the Chieftains (3-0) won three out of four singles flights and then split the doubles flights.
A come-from-behind victory at No. 1 doubles proved to be the difference.
Winning for the Chieftains in singles competition were Lisa Rubino, Ann O'Keefe and Amelia First at one, two and four singles.
Buchanan's lone victory came at No. 3 singles where Megan Vylonis came from behind to defeat Taylor Townsend in three sets.
Calie Daniels and Lindsay Tyler were blanked in the opening set at No. 1 doubles, 6-0, by Buchanan's Robyn Bahr and Holly Lucas.
Daniels and Tyler then won the second set, 6-3, but trailed 3-0 in the decisive third set.
The pair rallied once again and came away with a 6-4 victory.
Dowagiac also got a victory at No. 4 doubles where Kate Duszynski and Kayleigh Sundman defeated Buchanan's Jessica Welsh and Joey Dreitzler, 6-3 and 6-3.
Rubino defeated Nicole Moyer at No. 1 singles, 6-0 and 6-1, while O'Keefe defeated Kayla Nelson at No. 2 singles, 6-1 and 6-1.
Vylonis defeated Townsend 5-7, 7-5 and 6-3.
First was a 6-1 and 6-3 winner at No. 4 singles over Buchanan's Sam Haner.
Buchanan picked up a 6-0 and 6-4 victory at No. 2 doubles over Ashley Smith and Kim Rutkowski. The Lady Bucks' doubles team consisted of Katrina Weldy and Courtney Miller.
The Lady Bucks' Brianne Weldy and Mary Martin defeated Tonya Scherer and Shelly Urbanski at No. 3 doubles, 6-0 and 6-1.
Dowagiac will host its inaugural tennis tournament on Saturday.
The Lady Bucks will return to Dowagiac for the tournament as well as Three Rivers, which Dowagiac defeated in its season opener.
Constantine has dropped out of the tournament. Dowagiac's junior varsity squad will replace the Lady Falcons, who will face Dowagiac in a non-conference match on Sept. 27.