Feb. 20, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 26th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team (6-1) registered its second win over a top-20 team this season with a 6-1 victory over No. 20 Brigham Young, Friday afternoon in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish won two of three doubles matches and five of six singles matches to snap the Courgars four-match winning streak. Notre Dame will return to the courts next Sunday, playing host to #36 Indiana at 1:00 p.m. (EST) in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
14th-ranked senior co-captain Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) delivered the clinching win for the Irish, with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over #43 Barbora Zahnova at No. 1 singles. It was the tenth win over a ranked opponent for Salas this year and the 17th in her career. Salas improves to 17-8 overall and 5-2 in dual-match play.
The Irish scored first, taking the doubles point. Salas and sophomore Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) remained unbeaten at the No. 2 postion, topping the Courgar’s Sofia Holden and Lauren Jones, 8-4. Salas and Connelly, ranked 39th in the nation, are 7-0 in dual-match play and improved to 13-2 overall.
At the No. 1 position, freshmen twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) clinched the point, beating BYU’s Hadley Macfarlane and Lauren Jones 8-5.
Junior Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and sophomore Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) had a 3-0 lead at No. 3 doubles before Cougars Rebecca Pike and Nicole Schneider battled back to win 9-7.
BYU tied things up with the first singles win at the No. 5 position. Rebecca Pike topped Sarah Jane Connelly 6-4, 6-0 to improve to 6-3 in dual-match play, but the Irish fought back winning the next four matches in straight sets.
Lauren Connelly continued her spring success with a 6-1, 6-0 decison over Olga Boulytcheva at No. 4 singles. Connelly has not lost a match in singles or doubles this spring, with wins in all seven dual matches, and holds a 12-5 overall singles record.
Stastny gave Notre Dame a 3-1 advantage with a win at No. 6 singles, knocking off BYU’s Hadley Macfarlane, 6-2, 6-0.
The Irish posted two more singles wins after the outocome was determined. Catrina Thompson beat Lauren Jones at the No. 3 position, 6-3, 6-4. The final match was decided in a match-tiebreaker at No 2., where Christian Thompson outlasted Sofia Holden, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6).
#26 Notre Dame 6, #20 BYU 1
Singles
No. 1: *#14 Alicia Salas (ND) d. #43 Barbora Zahnova (BYU) 6-3, 6-3
No. 2: #88 Christian Thompson (ND) d. Sofia Holden (BYU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
No. 3: Catrina Thompson (ND) d. Lauren Jones (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 4: Lauren Connelly (ND) d. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 5: Rebecca Pike (BYU) d. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 6-4, 6-0
No. 6: Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Hadley Macfarlane (BYU) 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 6, 1*, 3, 2
Doubles
No. 1: *Thompson/Thompson (ND) d. Mcfarlan/Zahnova (BYU) 8-5
No. 2: #39 L. Connelly/Salas (ND) d. Holden/Jones 8-4
No. 3: Rebecca Pike/Nicole Schneider (BYU) d. S.J. Connelly/Stastny (ND) 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3
— ND —