April 13, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 19th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s’ tennis team celebrated Senior Day in fashion, posting a 7-0 victory over 40th-ranked USF Friday at the Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish improved to 4-0 in BIG EAST play on the season with the victory and have won the four conference contests by a combined score of 28-0.
Notre Dame started the afternoon match with a sweep of the doubles point, marking the 12th doubles sweep of the season and the fourth against BIG EAST opposition. Sophomores Britney Sanders (Ontario, Calif.) and Julie Sabacinski (Plantation, Fla.), ranked 85th, finished first at the No. 2 court. The Irish duo posted an 8-1 victory over Paula Montoya and Lucie Rey and improved to 12-3 on the dual season.
The fifth-ranked senior tandem of Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) and Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) fittingly clinched the point at the No. 1 court, defeating the 49th-ranked Bulls pairing of Ecaterina Vasenina and Loreto Alonso-Martinez, 8-4. With the match square at 4-4, Notre Dame won each of the next four games to close out the match.
Junior Chrissie McGaffigan (Davenport, Iowa) and sophomore Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) completed the sweep, defeating Danielle Mills and Fanny Fracassi at No. 3, 8-2. The Irish pairing improved to 16-5 at three doubles with the win.
Notre Dame continued to roll in singles play, winning each of the six courts with five being claimed in straight sets. Kellner got the scoring underway first, knocking off Mills at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-0. The victory improved the sophomore to 17-5 on the dual season and a perfect 3-0 since making the move to the fourth court.
Katherine White (Columbus, Ga.) improved the match score to 3-0, earning her fourth win of the dual season. The freshman took the court at No. 6 singles and defeated Alessandra Bonte, 6-1, 6-1. Sanders clinched the match shortly after, defeating Fracassi (6-3, 6-1) at No. 3 singles to secure her team-leading 18th dual win of the year and her 30th career victory.
The two Irish seniors were next to finish, pushing the contest to 6-0. Frilling concluded first, becoming the ninth player in Irish program history to record 100 career wins after knocking off Alonso Martinez, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 2 court. Mathews, ranked 54th, then earned her 92nd career win and fifth of the season against a ranked opponent, defeating #42 Vasenina 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles.
McGaffigan finished off the shutout, defeating Montoya in the lone three-set match of the day, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4) at the No. 5 position. The junior improved to 14-8 on the season with the victory.
The Irish face a quick turnaround as they conclude the regular season against Louisville at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky. Live stats of the contest can be tracked through the women’s schedule page on UND.com and be sure to check back with UND.com following the match for a complete recap.
USF vs. Notre DameApr 13, 2012 at Notre Dame, Ind. (Courtney Tennis Center)#19 Notre Dame 7, #40 USF 0
Singles competition1. #54 Shannon Mathews (ND) def. #42 Ecaterina Vasenina (USF) 6-2, 6-02. #104 Kristy Frilling (ND) def. L. Alonso Martinez (USF) 6-2, 6-23. Britney Sanders (ND) def. Fanny Fracassi (USF) 6-3, 6-14. Jennifer Kellner (ND) def. Danielle Mills (USF) 6-1, 6-05. Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Paula Montoya (USF) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)6. Katherine White (ND) def. Alessandra Bonte (USF) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition1. #5 Kristy Frilling/Shannon Mathews (ND) def. #49 Ecaterina Vasenina/L. Alonso Martinez (USF) 8-42. #85 Julie Sabacinski/Britney Sanders (ND) def. Paula Montoya/Lucie Rey (USF) 8-13. Jennifer Kellner/Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Danielle Mills/Fanny Fracassi (USF) 8-2
Match Notes:USF 14-8; National ranking #40Notre Dame 16-7; National ranking #19Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,6,3,2,1,5)
A-102 –ND–