March 1, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team won its fourth straight match Friday, blanking #35 Wisconsin 7-0 in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish swept the three doubles matches and won all six singles tilts to notch their second consecutive shutout. Notre Dame improved to 8-5, while Wisconsin fell to 8-3. The Irish will return to action tomorrow, taking on 38th-ranked Ohio State at 1:00 p.m. in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The Irish swept the doubles matches for the fourth time this season. Seniors Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.), the 30th-ranked doubles team in the country, gained an 8-3 win over the 50th-ranked team of Linde Mues and Lara Vojnov at No. 1. Senior Nina Vaughan (Corona del Mar, Calif.) and junior Katie Cunha (Mercer Island, Wash.) clinched the doubles point with an 8-4 victory at No. 2. Sophomore Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo.) and freshman Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) completed the sweep by converting on their ninth match point to defeat Lindsay Martin and Katie McGaffigan 9-8 (7-2) at No. 3. Martin and McGaffigan had been 8-0 in action this spring.
Notre Dame won all six singles matches to gain the win. Green finished first with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 3. Varnum, ranked 73rd in singles, then registered a 7-5, 6-1 upset victory over #71 Vanessa Rauh at No. 1, setting up the clinching victory, which came in the form of a 7-5, 6-2 win by Connelly at No. 6. After the outcome was determined, the Irish gained three hard-fought victories. Salas won 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) at No. 4, Vaughan won 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) and Cunha gained a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-6) victory at No. 5.
Varnum’s win was her fourth in a row and her fourth this season over a ranked opponent. Connelly also won her fourth consecutive match, while Salas improved to 12-1 in singles this spring. She is 19-4 overall and has won 15 of her last 16 matches. In doubles, Connelly and Salas improved to 5-1 as a team, while Cunha and Vaughan won their fourth straight match.
The win marked the sixth straight for Notre Dame over Wisconsin.
#20 Notre Dame 7, #35 Wisconsin 0
Singles
No. 1: #73 Becky Varnum (ND) d. #71 Vanessa Rauh (W) 7-5, 6-1
No. 2: Nina Vaughan (ND) d. Linde Mues (W) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
No. 3: Lindsey Green (ND) d. Shana McElroy (W) 6-2, 6-4
No. 4: #127 Alicia Salas (ND) d. Katie McGaffigan (W) 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
No. 5: Katie Cunha (ND) d. Katie Dougherty (W) 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-6)
No. 6: Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Lindsay Martin (W) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1: #30 Green/Varnum (ND) d. #50 Mues/Lara Vojnov (W) 8-3
No. 2: Cunha/Vaughan (ND) d. Dougherty/Teresa Gonzaga (W) 8-4
No. 3: Connelly/Salas (ND) d. Martin/McGaffigan (W) 9-8 (7-2)