Jan. 29, 2004
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The 21st-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team lost a pair of three-set matches in dropping a 4-3 season-opening decision to #34 Michigan (2-0) Thursday afternoon in the Preston Robert Tisch Building. The Wolverines captured the doubles point with a win in the final match on-court and then split the singles contests. The Irish will open their home slate on Saturday against Ohio State at 11 a.m. (EST) in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
With the score tied 2-2, the match came down to a trio of three-set contests, at Nos. 2, 5, and 6. Michigan’s Michelle DaCosta, ranked 92nd nationally in singles, gave the Wolverines a one-point advantage with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over 88th-ranked Irish freshman Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) at No. 2. Thompson made her dual-match debut despite battling illness.
Leanne Rutherford clinched the Michigan win, edging Notre Dame junior Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 5. Prior to that contest, Connelly had been victorious in seven of her previous eight three-set affairs.
Moments later, sophomore Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) provided the final Irish tally with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5 win against Kara Delicata. Six of Stastny’s 13 matches this season have taken more than two sets to decide.
The Wolverines won the doubles point to post the first point of the match. In the final match on-court, DaCosta and Rutherford, ranked 47th, delivered an 8-6 victory over twins Christian and Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) at No. 1. Michigan struck first in doubles with an 8-5 victory at No. 3 from Kim Plaushines and Debra Streifler, but the Irish then got a win from senior co-captain Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) and sophomore Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) at No. 2. The Irish pair, ranked 39th nationally, is 7-2 on the season.
Salas, ranked 14th in the nation in singles, posted her ninth win over a ranked opponent this season and improved to 13-6 by beating #37 Elizabeth Exon 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1. Five of Salas’ nine ranked victories have come against top-40 foes.
Lauren Connelly tied the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4 against Chrissie Nolan. She improved to 9-3 this season.
No. 3 singles was the first off the court, as Kavitha Tipirneni gave Michigan a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Catrina Thompson.
Coming into Thursday, Notre Dame had won nine consecutive matches against Michigan, dating back to 1994.
The Irish had won seven of their last eight season openers and 11 consecutive road openers prior to the match.
#34 Michigan 4, #21 Notre Dame 3
Singles
No. 1: #14 Alicia Salas (ND) d. #37 Elizabeth Exon (M) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2: #92 Michelle DaCosta (M) d. #88 Christian Thompson (ND) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
No. 3: Kavitha Tipirneni (M) d. Catrina Thompson (ND) 6-3, 6-3
No. 4: Lauren Connelly (ND) d. Chrissie Nolan (M) 6-4, 6-3
No. 5: Leanne Rutherford (M) d. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
No. 6: Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Kara Delicata (M) 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 4, 2, 5*, 6
Doubles
No. 1: *#47 DaCosta/Rutherford (M) d. Thompson/Thompson (ND) 8-6
No. 2: #39 L. Connelly/Salas (ND) d. Exon/Tipirneni (M) 8-6
No. 3: Kim Plaushines/Debra Streifler (M) d. S.J. Connelly/Stastny (ND) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
* denotes clinching match