Sept. 30, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Four Notre Dame women’s tennis players – sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School), freshmen Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) and Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.), and senior Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) – won a pair of matches on Friday at Indiana University’s Outdoor Varsity Tennis Courts to advance to the singles finals of their respective flights in the Hoosier Classic. Overall, Irish competitors posted a 9-5 mark in all singles play on the opening day of the tournament.
Buck – who, at a career-high 54th, is the highest-ranked singles player in the tournament – began her sophomore season with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Marina Chiarelli of Louisiana State and followed that up by beating Jessica Simosa of Kansas State 6-3, 6-1. The Irish sophomore will take on #82 Sarah Batty of Indiana in the “A” flight final. It will be a rematch of the No. 2 singles contest in last spring’s dual match (a 4-3 ND win), in which the Hoosier upset then-#90 Buck 6-2, 2-6, 7-6. The ND sophomore has now won five consecutive fall matches and is 12-3 in her career in non-dual play. She also extended her streak of wins when taking the opening set to 22 in a row.
Playing in her first collegiate tournament, Potts won a pair of match tiebreakers to earn a spot in the title match of the “B” flight. She first beat Ksenia Bukina of Kansas 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) and then came back from dropping an opening-set tiebreaker against Indiana’s Alba Berdala to prevail 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6). Potts will take on another Hoosier, Laura McGaffigan, in the final.
Tefft also began her collegiate career with a pair of victories, but hers were more decisive, as she lost just five total games in four sets. Tefft first beat Tiffany Tucker of Louisiana State 6-0, 6-1 and then downed Katka Kudlackova of Kansas State 6-4, 6-0. She will face off with Indiana’s Brianna Williams in the “C” flight championship.
Nelson – who won the “B” flight consolation championship in last weekend’s Maryland Invitational in her return to collegiate action for the first time in 22 months – continued to roll. She beat Kansas’ Lauren Hommell 6-3, 7-5 in the opening round of the “D” flight and then beat Fernanda De Valle of Kansas State 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4). She will take on another Wildcat, Vivian Yrureta, in the title match. Nelson has now won four in a row – all tight decisions – after dropping her first match of the season. She is 4-0 in her career in match tiebreakers and 5-0 this season in sets decided by two games or fewer. Nelson has a 13-4 career mark in close matches, as well as a 26-13 overall record.
Senior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) will aim for her second consolation title in as many tournaments this season. She nearly pulled off an upset in the first round of “B” flight action on Friday, but eventually dropped a match tiebreaker against 95th-ranked Tamar Kvaratskhelia of Kansas State, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8). She rebounded for a quick 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Christine Skoda of Kansas to advance to the consolation final, in which she will face Lauren Seaman of Louisiana State. The two players met last weekend in the backdraw semis of the Maryland Invitational, with Stastny claiming a 6-1, 6-1 win. It was the 13th match tiebreaker in the career of the Notre Dame senior; she has dropped three straight and is 7-6 overall. The match against Skoda gave Stastny the 60th singles victory of her collegiate career.
Senior captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) experienced tough luck on Friday, losing a pair of match tiebreakers in the “C” flight. She had won four of them in a row prior to that. Sophomore Bailey Louderback (South Bend, Ind./Penn H.S.) nearly earned her first collegiate singles victory, but also fell in a match tiebreaker.
Action will continue in the Hoosier Classic with doubles play starting at 10 a.m. (EST/CDT) on Saturday. Additionally, Irish junior Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) will begin play in the prequalifying singles draw of the first grand slam of the season, the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Saturday.
Hoosier Classic, Day One (September 30)Singles - "A" Flight#54 Brook Buck (ND) d. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) 6-2, 6-4 - first round#54 Brook Buck (ND) d. Jessica Simosa (Kansas State) 6-3, 6-1 - semifinalsSingles - "B" Flight#95 Tamar Kvaratskhelia (Kansas State) d. Kristina Stastny (ND) 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) - first roundKatie Potts (ND) d. Ksenia Bukina (Kansas) 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) - first roundKatie Potts (ND) d. Alba Berdala (Indiana) 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6) - semifinalsKristina Stastny (ND) d. Christine Skoda (Kansas) 6-1, 6-1 - consolation semifinalsSingles - "C" FlightBrianna Williams (Indiana) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) - first roundKelcy Tefft (ND) d. Tiffany Tucker (LSU) 6-0, 6-1 - first roundKelcy Tefft (ND) d. Katka Kudlackova (Kansas State) 6-4, 6-0 - semifinalsEdina Horvath (Kansas) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4) - consolation semifinalsSingles - "D" FlightKelly Nelson (ND) d. Lauren Hommell (Kansas) 6-3, 7-5 - first roundKelly Nelson (ND) d. Fernanda Da Valle (Kansas State) 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4) - semifinalsSinglesTami McQueen (Murray State) d. Bailey Louderback (ND) 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7)Olga Klimova (Kansas State) d. Bailey Louderback (ND) 6-0, 6-0