By LEWIS BAGLEY
Tribune Staff Writer

St. Joseph's Bill Mountford is exercising a coach's right to tinker with the lineup.

Fifth-ranked St. Joseph's took out arch-rival Marian, 4-1, to improve to 5-0 in Northern Indiana Conference play.

The defending league champion returned this season with its entire lineup intact. But, a recent stretch of matches against top-notch competition convinced Mountford to make a few changes.

"We had those matches in Indianapolis last weekend," Mountford said, referring to a pair of 3-2 losses to No. 3 Cathedral and top-ranked Park Tudor. "The depth with those teams is incredible. If we are going to be able to compete with them, we're going to have to be stronger at two doubles."

So, Mountford split up his two doubles team and moved Darby Mountford, his daughter, to three singles and took previous three singles, Abby Watkins and paired her with Kayle Sexton.

Tuesday, Darby Mountford beat Sarah Krizman, 6-0, 6-0, while Watkins and Sexton won a 6-2, 6-4 decision over Kathleen Klauer and Shauna Berry.

"Marian beat us at two doubles last year," Bill Mountford

pointed out. "It's a luxury for us to have as many good players as we have. We got a good taste in Indianapolis last week as to what we have to do."

St. Joseph's clinched the match with wins by Jessi Rink at two singles and by the first doubles duo of Bridget Veldman and Elle Harding.

"St. Joe has a good, solid pack of girls," Marian coach Sarah Stanchin said. "They are a pack of strong, confident girls and that gives them a big edge."

Marian's win came in the marquee match of the night as Caroline Eberhart beat Alaina Roberts, 6-0, 6-3, in a match-up of the two top singles players in the area.

Eberhart displayed her shot-making prowess, despite the windy conditions, to frustrate Roberts, a more powerful hitter.

"I looked up at the score (in the first set) and thought 'Wow, I'm on a roll,'" Eberhart said. "Alaina picked it up a lot in the second set, like I knew she would.

"I had to consistently hit balls deep and dictate the points."

St. Joseph's moves on to the Concord Invitational Saturday, where it will see NIC-rival Penn for the first time this season. The two teams will meet at Penn May 4 in a match that likely will decide the league title.

SINGLES: Caroline Eberhart (M) d. Alaina Roberts, 6-0, 6-3; Jessi Rink (SJ) d. Elizabeth Krizman, 6-0, 6-0; Darby Mountford (SJ) d. Sarah Krizman, 6-0, 6-0.

DOUBLES: Bridget Veldman-Elle Harding (SJ) d. Megan Martin-Katie Jessen, 6-1, 6-1; Kayle Sexton-Abby Watkins (SJ) d. Kathleen Klauer-Shauna Berry, 6-2, 6-4.

Records: St. Joseph's 9-2 overall, 5-0 NIC; Marian 3-4, 2-3.

Click Here for the story from the South Bend Post-Tribune