March 14, 2009
ATLANTA – The fourth-ranked Irish women’s tennis team fell to No. 7 Georgia Tech, 4-3, Saturday in Atlanta.
Notre Dame won the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Second-ranked Kelcy Tefft and Kristy Friling defeated No. 16 Christy Striplin and Noelle Hickey, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles. Georgia Tech’s Lynn Blau and Amanda McDowell downed Shannon Mathews and Colleen Rielley, 8-5, at No. 3 doubles to even the match. Cosmina Ciobanu and Kali Krisik knocked off Irina Falconi and Sasha Krupina, 8-3, at second doubles to clinch the point for the Irish.
Striplin tied the match at 1-1 for the Yellow Jackets after she defeated Kristen Rafael, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 3 singles. Defending NCAA singles champion McDowell downed No. 31 Tefft, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 singles to put Georgia Tech ahead, 2-1.
Ciobanu tied the match at 2-2 when she knocked off Blau, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 4 singles, but fifth-ranked Falconi gave the Yellow Jackets a 3-2 lead when she outlasted No. 55 Frilling, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, at second singles.
Mathews defeated Viet Ha Ngo, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 5 singles to tie the match at 3-3.
Georgia Tech clinched the 4-3 win as Krupina defeated Krisik, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 6 singles.
Notre Dame returns home Friday to host No. 27 Vanderbilt at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Doubles matches are scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m.
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