May 25, 2001

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Notre Dame four-time All-American women’s tennis player and 2001 Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Senior Player-of-the-Year Michelle Dasso (Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson HS) saw her run in the NCAA singles tournament end with a 6-2, 6-3 semifinal loss to top-seeded and defending champion Laura Granville of Stanford on Friday at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Ga. In her fourth straight appearance, Dasso won four matches to reach the semifinals for the best finish ever for an Irish player at the NCAA Division I singles championship.

The loss marked the second straight for Dasso to the Cardinal sophomore in an ITA grand slam semifinal. Granville also beat Dasso in the semifinals of the Rolex National Intercollegiate Championships in February in their first collegiate meeting.

The semifinal appearance continued a strong grand slam season for Dasso, with no worse than semifinal showings in three of the four grand slam events. She became the first Irish women’s tennis player to reach a grand slam final at the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championships in September. Dasso also made the quarterfinals at the Riviera All-American Championships in October before her semifinal losses to Granville.