Jan. 26, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 21st-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team (2-1) won every set en route to a 7-0 victory against #20 Michigan (1-2) Wednesday in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish, who won the first-ever matchup between the schools with the Wolverines as the higher-ranked team, will conclude an eight-day stretch against three top-30 squads when they play host to #30 Wake Forest (2-0) on Sunday at 10 a.m. (EST).
Notre Dame did not give up more than five games in any doubles match and then held Michigan to three games or fewer in eight of 12 sets in singles to beat the Wolverines at home for the 10th consecutive time.
First off the court in doubles were junior Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and freshman Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School), who defeated Leanne Rutherford and Debra Streifler 8-2 at No. 2. The Irish duo improved to 13-4 on the season and 9-2 against Midwest Region foes.
Sophomore twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), the #2-ranked doubles team in college tennis, improved to 8-1 against nationally-ranked teams this season by downing 15th-ranked Michelle DaCosta and Kara Delicata 8-5 at No. 1. It was the fifth victory for the sisters against top-15 foes in 2004-05. The Thompsons are 11-2 on the season and unbeaten in three matches this spring.
In the final match remaining, senior captain Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and junior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) registered an 8-5 victory against Elizabeth Exon and Nina Yaftali at No. 3. The Notre Dame team is 12-4 on the season and 8-2 against the region.
In singles, junior Liz Donohue (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman H.S.) – who had dropped tight decisions in both of her first two matches this spring – wasted little time in claiming a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Streifler at No. 6. Donohue is 11-5 on the season, including 9-2 against Midwest Region players. It was the eighth time this season that she gave up five games or fewer in a match.
Lauren Connelly put the Irish within a point of victory and remained the team leader in singles victories by beating Rutherford 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4. She is 13-2 on the season and stands as the only Notre Dame player with a 3-0 singles record this spring. Connelly has now won eight in a row in the Eck Tennis Pavilion, where she boasts a 21-9 career mark. She has won seven of nine matches against the Midwest Region.
Stastny clinched the victory by beating Yaftali 7-5, 6-0 at No. 5. The Wolverine won the first three games, but Stastny then won 13 of the final 15 games. She is 11-4 on the campaign and has won 13 in a row when claiming the opening set.
Once the outcome was determined, Christian Thompson completed a 7-5, 6-2 win over Delicata at No. 3.
Catrina Thompson then completed her second highly-ranked win of the match, topping #44 Michelle DaCosta 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1. She improved to 3-2 against nationally-ranked foes this season and knocked off a top-50 player for the second time in her career.
Michigan’s Exon, ranked 95th, came the closest to winning a set, but she eventually lost 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to 85th-ranked Buck at No. 2. It was the third nationally-ranked victory for the Irish rookie in her last matches. She is 12-4 on the season, including 8-2 vs. the Midwest Region. Buck is 3-0 in tiebreakers as a collegian.
#21 Notre Dame 7, #20 Michigan 0
Singles
No. 1: #69 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. #44 Michelle DaCosta (M) 6-2, 6-3
No. 2: #85 Brook Buck (ND) def. #95 Elizabeth Exon (M) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
No. 3: Christian Thompson (ND) def. Kara Delicata (M) 7-5, 6-2
No. 4: Lauren Connelly (ND) def. Leanne Rutherford (M) 6-3, 6-3
No. 5: *Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Nina Yaftali (M) 7-5, 6-0
No. 6: Liz Donohue (ND) def. Debra Streifler (M) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 5*, 3, 1, 2
Doubles
No. 1: *#2 Thompson/Thompson (ND) def. #15 DaCosta/Delicata (M) 8-5
No. 2: Buck/L. Connelly (ND) def. Rutherford/Streifler (M) 8-2
No. 3: Sarah Jane Connelly/Stastny (ND) def. Exon/Yaftali (M) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3