Nov. 7, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Freshman Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) registered her second upset of a nationally-ranked player in three days to lead the Notre Dame women’s tennis team on Sunday in the Indiana Invitational at the IU Tennis Center. The day, which saw the Irish win four of six singles matches, marked the last of the fall portion of the 2004-05 schedule. Notre Dame will begin its spring dual-match slate on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Ohio State before opening at home on Sunday, Jan. 23 at Noon (EST) against Vanderbilt, which finished last season ranked #2 in the nation.
The Irish won four of six against players from Purdue on the final day of the Indiana Invitational. Notre Dame, which was without its top two players this week, played hidden dual matches against the Boilermakers, DePaul, and the host school. In hidden dual action, no team scores are recorded, though the Irish would have beaten DePaul (6-1) and Purdue (4-3), while losing to Indiana (4-3). For the entire fall season, Notre Dame had the upper hand in nine of 10 hidden duals despite playing all but three without their top two competitors. The Irish also competed against Auburn, Colorado, Denver, Kansas, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Virginia in hidden dual play this fall.
Buck lost just five games en route to an upset of Purdue’s No. 1 player, 93rd-ranked Hala Sufi by scores of 6-2, 6-3. Buck defeated #37 Dora Vastag of Indiana in a match tiebreaker on Friday, and she finished her first collegiate fall with a 10-3 record. She was 5-1 in combined singles and doubles play in the Indiana Invitational, dropping only a match in partnered action.
Junior Liz Donohue (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman H.S.) also was unbeaten in singles action in the tournament, as she ended up with a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win against Shawna Zuccarini. Donohue also notched a 10-3 record this fall, including 8-1 against the Midwest Region. The Irish junior, who already has three more singles victories than her previous career-best season total, now sports a 20-3 career mark when winning the opening set.
Junior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) followed up her first career win over a nationally-ranked foe by beating Brooke Beier in a match tiebreaker, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (11-9). She posted a 9-3 mark during fall action, including an upset of #124 Gergana Ganeva of DePaul on Saturday.
Another junior, Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) also won for the second day in a row. She beat Stephanie Wooten 6-1, 6-2 to end the first semester with a 9-2 ledger.
Indiana Invitational
Singles
Brook Buck (ND) def. #93 Hala Sufi (Purdue), 6-2, 6-3
Lauren Connelly (ND) def. Stephanie Wooten (P), 6-1, 6-2
Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Brooke Beier (P), 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (11-9)
Amy Walgenbach (P) def. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND), 7-5, 6-7 (7-4), 1-0 (10-7)
Liz Donohue (ND) def. Shawna Zuccarini (P), 6-0, 6-0
Brittany Minna (P) def. Bailey Louderback (ND), 6-1, 6-0