April 21, 2001
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The seventh-ranked and top-seeded Notre Dame women’s tennis team blanked fourth-seeded Virginia Tech 4-0 on Saturday to reach the final of the BIG EAST Championship. The Irish will play for their fourth championship in six years in the conference at noon on Sunday against 39th-ranked and second-seeded host Miami, a 4-0 winner over third-seeded Boston College. Junior Becky Varnum clinched the win with her seventh straight victory at No. 2 singles. Notre Dame improves to 22-4 with its seventh consecutive win and continus its best start under 14th-year head coach Jay Louderback.
The Irish claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. Sophomore Katie Cunha and senior Kimberly Guy won the first seven games of their 8-1 decision over Michelle Martaus and Kristin Lanio at No. 2 doubles. The sixth-ranked doubles team of senior All-American Michelle Dasso and Varnum fell behind 0-3 at No. 1 doubles but rallied to beat Antonella Pozzi and Kristen Stubbs 8-5 at No. 1 doubles to clinch the point with their 18th consecutive win.
Varnum’s doubles victory improved her season record to 33-7, breaking a 20-year old Notre Dame record for most single-season doubles wins previously held by Pam Fischette, who went 32-9 in 1980-81. Dasso’s doubles win upped her combined singles (34-8) and doubles (31-7) win total to 65 matches, breaking her won school record combined season victories — a record she set as a freshman in 1997-98 when she won a total of 64 matches. Dasso earlier this season set school records for career singles wins (135), career doubles wins (104) and combined career wins (239).
Nina Vaughan gave the Irish a 2-0 lead as the 94th-ranked junior blanked Ines Khelifi 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Freshman Caylan Leslie was successful in her BIG EAST Championship debut with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Martaus at No. 4 singles for a 3-0 Irish advantage. Varnum, in her first singles match since entering the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings at 95th, ended the match with her 6-1, 6-2 win over Pozzi at No. 2 singles.
The Irish improved to 11-0 at the BIG EAST championship in matches played leading up to the championship match and have not lost a match in those 11 victories. Notre Dame previously has won BIG EAST titles in 1999, 1997 and 1996 and has finished second in 2000 and 1998 — facing host Miami in all five championship matches.
#7 NOTRE DAME 4, VIRGINIA TECH 0
Singles
No. 1: #4 Michelle Dasso (ND) vs. Kristen Stubbs (VT) 6-1, 5-1, abandoned
No. 2: #95 Becky Varnum (ND) def. Antonella Pozzi (VT) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3: #94 Nina Vaughan (ND) def. Ines Khelifi (VT) 6-0, 6-0
No. 4: Caylan Leslie (ND) def. Michelle Martaus (VT) 6-1, 6-3
No. 5: Lindsey Green (ND) vs. Kristin Lanio (VT) 5-7, abandoned
No. 6: Kimberly Guy (ND) vs. Bridget Bruner (VT) 3-6, 3-2, abandoned
Doubles
No. 1: #6 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. Pozzi/Stubbs (VT) 8-5
No. 2: Katie Cunha/Guy (ND) def. Lanio/Martaus (VT) 8-1
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) vs. Bruner/Khelifi (VT) 5-5, abandoned