Feb. 26, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the fourth time this month, the 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team (4-5) dropped a 4-3 decision against a top-20 opponent, losing to #13 Texas (7-0) Saturday afternoon in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish, who won the doubles point and got straight-set victories at Nos. 1 and 2 in singles, will return to action Sunday, playing host to #57 Iowa at 9 a.m. (EST).
Notre Dame could not manage to win a set in any of the bottom four singles positions, and that proved to be the difference. There were opportunities, though, especially in what would be the clinching match: the No. 5 contest between Texas’ 97th-ranked freshman Courtney Zauft and Notre Dame junior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy). The Longhorn ended up prevailing 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to give her team – up 3-2 at the time – the victory, but Stastny looked as though she would send the match to a third set. Zauft served for the match at 5-4 in the second and won two of the first three points to get within two points of clinching the team match, but the Irish junior fought back, using a double fault and a pair of Zauft errors to break serve. Stastny then held serve and won two of the first three points with Zauft serving to get into a tiebreaker, putting Notre Dame within two points of extending the match. But the UT rookie came back and forced a tiebreaker, which she took control of immediately, going up 5-1 and then converting on her second match point, when a Stastny lob landed beyond the baseline after an approach shot by Zauft. The Longhorn improved to 7-0 this spring in dual-match action.
The Irish got a pair of strong victories at the top of the singles lineup. Sophomore Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), ranked 32nd in the nation, defeated Petra Dizdar of Croatia 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 1 spot. The Longhorn is currently unranked, but she has been listed as high as 11th nationally in her career. Thompson is 12-4 on the season and has now won four of her last five contests.
At No. 2, 60th-ranked freshman Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) pulled out a tight match against #80 Kendra Strohm, winning 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4). The Irish rookie improved to 16-6 on the season and 6-3 this spring at No. 2.
Notre Dame started well again, winning the doubles point for the eighth time in nine matches this season. The Irish got victories at the bottom two positions to do so. The point came down to the No. 3 match, where Stastny and senior captain Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) came through with an 8-6 victory over Zauft and Kelly Baritot. The Irish pair is now 17-7 on the season and 7-2 this spring.
That was set up by Buck and junior Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.), who downed Dizdar and Mia Marovic by an 8-4 score at No. 2. The Irish duo improved to 18-5 this season, including 7-2 in dual-match action.
Sophomore twins Catrina and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) were unsuccessful in their first match since becoming the first Notre Dame team ever ranked #1 in the nation in doubles. They were broken in the eighth game of their pro set against the 26th-ranked duo of Strohm and Katie Ruckert and could not get that break back, eventually losing 8-5. It was the first loss for the Thompsons in nine contests this spring.
Marovic was first off the court in singles. She trailed Lauren Connelly 3-2 in the opening set before winning 10 of the next 11 games to prevail 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4. Ruckert then put Texas in the lead for the first time by beating Christian Thompson 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3. That avenged a three-set defeat against Thompson in last year’s dual match (a 5-2 Texas win in Austin).
Ristine Olson put Texas within one point of victory by beating junior Liz Donohue (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman H.S.) 7-5, 6-1 at No. 6. Donohue started quickly in the match, breaking serve to go up 3-0 in the opening set, but the Longhorn would then take control from there.
Texas improved to 3-0 in 4-3 matches this season, having previously topped #9 Tulane and #38 Arizona State by the score.
Notre Dame continued its struggles in close matches, having now won just once in nine 4-3 matches over the past two seasons.
#13 Texas 4, #20 Notre Dame 3
Singles
No. 1: #32 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. Petra Dizdar (UT) 6-4, 6-1
No. 2: #60 Brook Buck (ND) def. #80 Kendra Strohm (UT) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4)
No. 3: Katie Ruckert (UT) def. Christian Thompson (ND) 6-2, 6-3
No. 4: Mia Marovic (UT) def. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-3, 6-1
No. 5: #97 Courtney Zauft (UT) def. Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
No. 6: Ristine Olson (UT) def. Liz Donohue (ND) 7-5, 6-1
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 6, 1, 5*, 2
Doubles
No. 1: #26 Ruckert/Strohm (UT) def. #1 Thompson/Thompson (ND) 8-5
No. 2: Buck/L. Connelly (ND) def. Dizdar/Marovic (UT) 8-4
No. 3: Sarah Jane Connelly/Stastny (ND) def. Kelly Baritot/Zauft (UT) 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*