WATERLOO - Northern Iowa's tennis team won its first Missouri Valley Conference dual meet of the season as the Panthers edged Southern Illinois, 4-3, Sunday at the Black Hawk Tennis Club.

Strong doubles play made the difference for UNI, most notably its No. 3 team of Taynara Moraes and Jessica Kunzelmann. They rallied from a 2-5 deficit to beat SIU's Vishakha Sheoran and Martina Vianna Ce, the nation's 68th-ranked doubles team, by an 8-6 margin.

Panthers Laia Gonzalez-Garrido and Phoebe Walker also combined for a doubles win.

A 3-3 split in singles gave UNI the victory. Walker, Sampada Kanade and Kunzelmann were the Panther winners.

Thus, UNI (1-2, 12-5) won after dropping Saturday's match against Evansville.

"I'm really proud of the way we responded after the disappointing loss yesterday," said Panther head coach Sachin Kirtane.

DOUBLES - Ame Blacketer-Fadzai Mawisire (SIU) def. Sampada Kanade-Diana Mendez 8-4; Laia Gonzalez-Garrido/Phoebe Walker (UNI) def. Jessica Flannery-Michele Cruise 8-1; Taynara Moraes-Jessica Kunzelmann (UNI) def. Vishakha Sheoran-Martina Vianna Ce 8-6

SINGLES - Mawisire (SIU) def. Gonzalez-Garrido 6-4, 6-2; Walker (UNI) def. Sheoran 6-3, 6-1; Kanade (UNI) def. Blacketer 6-3, 6-0; Kunzelmann (UNI) def. Cruise 6-2, 6-2; Flannery (SIU) def. Moraes 7-6, 6-3; Vianna Ce (SIU) def. Mendez 6-2, 6-2