Win the first one they did, 15-2. The second game set them sweating a little with a 11-15 loss. With the third game they kicked into gear, pulling off a solid 15-9 win.

Go-getter Tina Cook "played an unbelievable game," said assistant coach Ashley Conrady. Conrady also credits team captain Ashley Boyer’s leadership as instrumental in last evening’s win and in their success this season. "They [the whole team] all played really well. We have a good, young team."

Individual statistics are as follows:

Kelli Gleason (junior): 5 kills, 4 blocks, 34 assists, 5 points

Darcy White (junior): 2 aces, 6 kills, 8 points

Ashley Boyer (senior): 11 kills, 2 blocks, 7 points

Danielle Peifer (senior): 2 aces, 7 kills, 3 blocks, 11 points

Kari McFadden (sophomore): 6 kills, 1 block, 6 points

The next game is against Morton at Limestone, on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. for supersectionals. The winning team goes to state.

Hemenway has coached 53 All-Americans in his first nine seasons.  He has also had five national champions, and members of his squad have set two national records.  Lincoln College has finished second in the nation the past two seasons and has won the regional title in five of the nine years Hemenway has been at the helm.

"Our goal is to win the regional again this year," said Hemenway.  "We hope to finish in the top four in the nationals.  In dual meets we should do well; however, it may be tough to win since we swim against several four-year schools.  Even though they are four-year schools, we should be competitive.  I believe we have several swimmers who are potential All-Americans this season; however, they have to prove it in the pool."

Leading the list of returning lettermen is Shane Syndergaard, a co-captain and an All-American in three events last season.  Syndergaard will be counted on heavily in the 1650, 500 and 200 freestyle, in addition to several relays.  "He should be our leader this season," said Hemenway.  "Nick Colberg was a big surprise last season, and he has shown to be on top of his swimming early this season.  We are looking for big things from him in the 1650, 200 fly and the 500 free."

Justin Thompson returns in diving for the Lynx.  Thompson placed fourth last season, and Hemenway expects him to do as well if not better this season.  Jake Sexton returns in the sprints and is being counted on heavily in the 50 and 100 free and the backstroke.  Keith Tobin is one of the dark horses on the team.  "He could give us some help in the 400 IM and could possibly help in some of the distance events," said Hemenway.

Others who are being counted on to help the Lynx are Jason Demyen-Jones, a transfer from Texas.  Jones is a national champion from last season.  "He is looking better already than he did last season," said Hemenway.  "He gives us great potential in the 50 free, 100 free and the 100 breast.  Another transfer who is being counted on is Deric Wynne, also a transfer from Texas.  Wynne should be near the top in the 100 fly, 200 fly and the 200 IM.  We are counting on him for help in these events, plus some relays."

Alex Blanch will be swimming the 100 and 200 fly and possibly the 50 free.  "He is another potential All-American in his individual events, and we are counting on him in some of the relays," said Hemenway.  "A couple of others showing great potential are Ramiro Palmer in the 100 and 200 breast and the 200 IM.  Matt Ryther has been impressive in the 400 IM and has the potential to reach All-American status.  He may also be swimming some distance events."

"Hopefully we will be surprised as we were last season.  We do have some quality swimmers, just not as many as last season.  We have two returning letter winners in Kristin Jones and Emily Sansale.   Jones is a returning All-American and has been looking even better this season.  She will swim the 100 and 200 back and the 200 IM.  Sansale is also a returning All-American and will compete in the 1650, 500 free and the 400 IM.  We are expecting big things from both of these girls."

"We may get some help a little later if Christen Binder can get her personal problems resolved.  She was our diver last season and has indicated she may be on campus for the second semester.  We presently have no divers, so that would be a tremendous help if she were to return."

According to Hemenway, "Misaki Ishikawa has tremendous potential, although she has not swam competitively for the past three or four years.  We are hoping for big things from her in the 100 and 200 back and possibly the 50 free.  Liz Wilson has been working extremely hard in practice and could surprise some people.   The 100 and 200 breast appear to be her best events.  Bonnie DiFoggio and Lindsey Luhtala are also expected to provide some scoring for the Lynx.  Bonnie competes in the 50 and 100 free.  Even though she has never swam before, we think she will help.  Lindsey was a diver last season; however, she has decided to enter the swimming ranks.  Tamara Campion will swim the 50 and 100 free.  She has been working hard and should contribute to our success."

 Coach Wilson said, "Our goal is to win the conference this season. It is a lofty goal, as the conference looks to be very balanced. We also play a tough non-conference schedule. Four of the teams we play (John Wood, Morton Cicero, Kankakee and Lakeland are all ranked in the preseason polls. Last season we were in a lot of games; however, we didn't take care of the ball very well, and that cost us. We recruited a lot of guards to handle the ball, and we also have a lot more quickness with the new players.

 "I feel if we take care of the ball, work on our shot selection and make good choices on the court, we will be a greatly improved squad. We have been working hard in practice, and our defense has been improving. We feel that is one area where the quickness will help; we should be able to pressure the ball a lot better. We also brought in recruits from winning programs, and these young ladies don't want to lose. Three of our recruits played in the state tournament in high school last year, so they know what it takes to win."

 Returning from last year's squad is Tameeka Dawson, leading scorer and rebounder with 15.3 and 10.2 stats respectively. Wilson said, "Tameeka was all-conference and all-region last season. We are certainly looking for her to improve and help our inside game. Candace Sheley is a returnee vying for play at the guard spot. We have a lot of depth at the guard spot, and playing time will be very competitive. Candace has the quickness to step in and help us at this position. 

 "Christine Lott is our tallest player, and she will probably be defending the opponents’ tallest post player. She does a good job on the board, and she needs to improve on finishing once she gets the ball inside. Jessica Trainer was very good at guard for us last season; however, she had to carry the load alone. That shouldn't be the case this year. Jessica sees the court very well and led us in assists. We look for her to continue, and she is capable of playing inside. If we play an opponent that is not overly tall, we could play three guards. She was also an all-conference selection last season.

 Promising newcomers on the squad are Ronni Beebe, Katie Skaggs, Jenny Story, Sarah McLaughlin and Tammy Bausley. Beebe played at Lewiston High School, which finished second in the state. "She is very quick, and her ball handling is excellent," Wilson said. "She should help put defensive pressure on the ball. Skaggs is a very good 3-point shooter. She made 51 3-point shots in high school last year, and we only made 61 as a team last season. We are looking for her to improve our 3-point shooting.

"The two Lincoln girls, Story and McLaughlin, will both see playing time at guard. That was one of our weak points last season, so we recruited a lot of guards to go with our post players who were returning.  These two should help our quickness and our outside shooting. Bausley is an excellent defensive player and will be looked at to help in that area."

Others on the squad who should help include Heather Dobey, Jackie Seiner, Lisa Knecht, Kim Massenburg, Heidi Weil, Shaquia Humphrey and Jesse Dullard.

"The fact that we have so much depth and so many options available should be a strong point," Wilson said. "We will be a very versatile team with a lot of possible combinations. If our opponents go big, we can do the same; however, if they are small, we can use three guards and a lot of quickness. We should be able to wear our opponents down with all of the depth."