Feb. 19, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 17th-ranked Irish women’s tennis team will kickoff its six-match homestand this weekend with two contests at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Notre Dame will host No. 31 Illinois Saturday at 1:00 p.m. (ET), before welcoming top-ranked Northwestern on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The Irish are 5-1 on the season, but haven’t competed since visiting Kansas and Michigan two weeks ago. Notre Dame topped the Jayhawks, 7-0, on Feb. 5, before edging the Wolverines, 4-3, on Feb. 7.
Despite falling two spots in the team standings, the Irish saw their individual rankings rise with the release of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) latest poll. Sophomore Kristy Frilling, who owns a 6-0 mark at No. 1 singles, moved up to the No. 23 position, while senior Kali Krisik entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 114 with a 6-0 record at fourth singles. Frilling and Krisik team up as Notre Dame’s No. 1 doubles duo, and, with their 6-0 record, claimed the No. 8 spot in the newest poll.
Illinois enters Saturday’s match with a 3-4 record. The Fighting Illini last competed two weeks ago when they went 2-1 during a three-match homestand. Illinois lost to Florida State, 4-3, before topping Marquette, 6-1, and Western Illinois, 7-0. The Fighting Illini are led by 85th-ranked Rachael White with a 2-5 record at No. 1 singles and Megan Fudge, with a 5-2 mark at No. 2.
Notre Dame holds a 21-9 all-time record against Illinois and won its last match against the Fighting Illini, 6-1, last season.
Top-ranked Northwestern comes to South Bend with an 8-0 record after winning its second-straight ITA National Indoor Team Championship. The Wildcats knocked off No. 10 Tennessee, 5-1, No. 8 Florida, 4-3, and third-ranked California, 4-3, before downing No. 2 North Carolina, 4-2, to claim the title.
Northwestern is led by 12th-ranked Maria Mosolova who carries a 6-2 No. 1 singles mark into the match. No. 29 Samantha Murray holds a 5-2 record at second singles, while No. 108 Kate Turvy is 4-3 at Nos. 3 and 4. The Wildcats also bring a strong doubles game to the Eck. Lauren Lui and Elena Chernyakova are ranked 14th, while Murray and Turvy come in at No. 26.
Northwestern leads the all-time series with Notre Dame, 24-10. The Wildcats have won the last four meetings, including two contests a year ago.
Live stats and complete results will be available at www.UND.com for both Irish matches.
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