Oct. 4, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team won a flight doubles championship and advanced three players to their respective flight singles title matches on Saturday in the Kentucky Fall Classic. Sophomores Liz Donohue (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman H.S.) and Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) captured the green flight championship, while freshman Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) upset the nation’s 39th-ranked player in singles.
Thompson improved to 5-1 in her first collegiate fall, including 2-0 against ranked opponents, in knocking off #39 Megan Muth of William & Mary 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the blue flight final. She topped #69 Andrea Yung of Northwestern in last week’s adidas Invitational. Thompson will take on Kentucky’s Aibika Kalsarieva on Sunday.
Donohue and Nelson won a pair of matches Saturday to claim doubles hardware. In semifinal play, they beat Catie McLevish and Shawna Zuccarini of Purdue 8-3. The Irish team then won eight of nine games in the final to defeat Danielle Petrisko and Caroline Winebrenner. Donohue and Nelson are 4-1 this season and 11-4 in their careers as a team.
Donohue will try to complete a perfect weekend on Sunday, when she faces Middle Tennessee State’s Laura McNamara in the red flight singles final. Donohue beat Emily Vest, also of MTSU, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Sophomore Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) reached the title match in the white flight with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) triumph over Purdue’s Alysa Rodriguez. She will take on Sarah Foster of the host team.
Thompson and twin sister Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) won a pair of doubles matches Saturday to claim the consolation championship in the blue flight. The Irish team defeated Sonia Ruzimova/Lindsay Williams of Ohio State 8-4 before edging William & Mary’s pair of Kate Boomershine and Lena Sherbakov 9-7.
In the white flight, senior Emily Neighbours (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor School) and sophomore Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) lost in the semifinals, but then topped the Tribe team of Emily Mowery and Lingda Yang 8-2 to take third place.
Neighbours also won in singles, 6-1, 6-3 over Marshall’s Meghan Skalsky in green flight consolation action.
Junior Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) surrendered just one game in beating Summer Beesley of Abilene Christian 6-1, 6-0 in white flight consolation play.
Play will conclude in the event on Sunday, with only singles matches taking place.
Three Irish players are not participating in the event. Senior co-captain Caylan Leslie (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar H.S.) and sophomore Jennifer Smith (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg H.S.) are both out with injuries, while senior co-captain Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) is saving a playing date in anticipation of her taking part in the qualifying of next week’s Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, beginning Tuesday.
Kentucky Fall Classic
Singles
White Flight semifinals
Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Alysa Rodriguez (Purdue) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
Sarah Foster (Kentucky) d. Christian Thompson (ND) 6-3, 0-6, 6-3
White Flight consolation
Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Summer Beesley (Abilene Christian) 6-1, 6-0
Blue Flight semifinals
Catrina Thompson (ND) d. #39 Megan Muth (William & Mary) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
Aibika Kalsarieva (Kentucky) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-1, 6-1
Green Flight semifinals
Anna Volberg (Ohio State) d. Kelly Nelson (ND) 6-2, 1-6, 6-0
Green Flight consolation
Emily Neighbours (ND) d. Meghan Skalsky (Marshall) 6-1, 6-3
Red Flight semifinals
Liz Donohue (ND) d. Emily Vest (Middle Tennessee) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Blue Flight semifinals
Foster/Kalsarieva (Kentucky) d. S.J. Connelly/Stastny (ND) 8-4
Blue Flight third place
Lille Nzudie/Alice Sukner (Marshall) d. S.J. Connelly/Stastny (ND) 8-5
Blue Flight consolation
Thompson/Thompson (ND) d. Sonia Ruzimova/Lindsay Williams (Ohio State) 8-4
Blue Flight consolation final
Thompson/Thompson (ND) d. Kate Boomershine/Lena Sherbakov (William & Mary) 9-7
White Flight semifinals
Lara Burgarello/Alyssa Rodriguez (Purdue) d. L. Connelly/Neighbours (ND) 8-2
White Flight third place
L. Connelly/Neighbours (ND) d. Emily Mowery/Lingda Yang (William & Mary) 8-2
Green Flight semifinals
Donohue/Nelson (ND) d. Catie McLevish/Shawna Zuccarini (Purdue) 8-3
Green Flight championship
Donohue/Nelson (ND) d. Danielle Petrisko/Caroline Winebrenner (Kentucky) 8-1