March 31, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team improved to 14-5 on the year with a 7-0 victory over 64th-ranked DePaul Saturday at the Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish also improved to a perfect 3-0 in BIG EAST battles.
The 7-0 victory marked the seventh time this season and third straight match against a BIG EAST foe in which the Irish have posted a shutout. Overall, Notre Dame now carries a 9-2 record in home matches and is 2-0 outdoors at the Courtney Tennis Center.
For the 10th consecutive match, Notre Dame staked claim to an early 1-0 lead in the contest after winning the doubles point. Additionally, the Irish swept all three courts for the ninth time on the season and the sixth time during their 10-match doubles win streak.
The fifth-ranked Irish pairing of seniors Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) and Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) ended first, defeating the 64th-ranked Blue Demon pairing of Jasmin Kling and Gia McKnight at the No. 1 court, 8-4. The victory improves the duo to 12-5 on the dual season and 8-6 against ranked opposition.
Junior Chrissie McGaffigan (Davenport, Iowa) and sophomore Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) clinched the point with an 8-3 decision over Carolin Neumann and Cali Gustafson at No. 3. The win is the sixth consecutive for McGaffigan and Kellner and improves the tandem to 9-1 over their last 10 matches.
Sophomores Britney Sanders (Ontario, Calif.) and Julie Sabacinski (Plantation, Fla.), ranked 67th, completed the Notre Dame sweep with an 8-3 win over Patricia Fargas and Kelsey Lawson at court two. Sanders and Sabacinski now sit at 9-2 on the dual season.
In singles action the Irish made short work of their opposition, winning five of the six courts in straight sets. Sanders finished her match first, taking down Lawson at No. 4 singles, 6-3, 6-1. It is her fourth straight victory and improves her to 15-3 on the dual season.
McGaffigan moved the contest to match point after defeating Neumann at No. 5, 6-2, 6-0. The win improves the Irish junior to 12-6 on the dual season and is her eighth victory in her last 10 matches. Frilling then clinched the match at court two, knocking off Fargas, 6-3, 6-0. She improves to 12-7 on the dual season and is now 10-5 since making the move to two singles.
The remaining three matches saw Sabacinski defeat Gustafson at No. 6 (6-2, 6-0) and #54 Mathews knock off Kling at No. 1 (6-1, 6-3) before Kellner closed out the sweep with a 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7) win over McKnight at No. 3. All three Irish players are now on modest two-match winning streaks, while the victory for Mathews marked her 90th career win.
Notre Dame returns to action Wednesday as it welcomes 15th-ranked Northwestern to town. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (ET) and, weather permitting, will be played outdoors at the Courtney Tennis Center.
DePaul vs Notre DameMar 31, 2012 at Notre Dame, Ind. (Courtney Tennis Center)#20 Notre Dame 7, #64 DePaul 0
Singles competition1. #54 Shannon Mathews (ND) def. Jasmin Kling (DEP) 6-1, 6-32. #95 Kristy Frilling (ND) def. Patricia Fargas (DEP) 6-3, 6-03. Jennifer Kellner (ND) def. Gia McKnight (DEP) 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7)4. Britney Sanders (ND) def. Kelsey Lawson (DEP) 6-3, 6-15. Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Carolin Neumann (DEP) 6-2, 6-06. Julie Sabacinski (ND) def. Cali Gustafson (DEP) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles competition1. #5 Kristy Frilling/Shannon Mathews (ND) def. #64 Jasmin Kling/Gia McKnight (DEP) 8-42. #67 Julie Sabacinski/Britney Sanders (ND) def. Patricia Fargas/Kelsey Lawson (DEP) 8-33. Jennifer Kellner/Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Carolin Neumann/Cali Gustafson (DEP) 8-3
Match Notes:DePaul 10-6; National ranking #64Notre Dame 14-5; National ranking #20Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,5,2,6,3,1)A-126
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