Jan. 26, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The ninth-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team was unable to hold off 16th-ranked Vanderbilt falling, 4-3, Saturday afternoon at the Currey Tennis Center.
The Irish drop to 1-1 on the season, while the Commodores improve to 5-0. Vanderbilt has knocked off a ranked opponent in each of its five matches.
The Irish held a 3-2 lead heading into the final two remaining matches on court, but the Commodores prevailed in each match to seal the upset. Caroline Ferrell knocked off sophomore #89 Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, KS) 6-2, 6-4 at No 6 singles. Krisik now stands 10-3 overall and 1-1 in dual action.
With the match now square at 3-3, #24 Catherine Newman provided the clinching victory for the Commodores at No. 2 singles. Newman rallied past senior #64 Brook Buck (Yukon, OK) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Buck drops to 4-6 on the year and 0-2 in dual matches.
The Irish took a 1-0 lead into singles, but Vanderbilt quickly evened the match, 1-1. #13 Courtney Ulery upended sophomore #88 Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, KS) in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3. Rielley drops to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in dual action.
Notre Dame regained the advantage, 2-1, following a dominating performance from junior Kelcy Tefft (Enid, OK) at No. 4. Tefft cruised past Taka Bertrand 6-3, 6-1 for her sixth victory of the season. She now stands 6-3 overall and 2-0 in dual matches.
Vanderbilt drew even for the second time in the match at 2-2. #34 Amanda Taylor defeated sophomore #62 Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, CA) 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1. Ciobanu drops to 12-5 overall and 1-1 in dual action.
Notre Dame took a 3-2 lead following junior #82 Katie Potts (Brookfield, WI) triumph at No. 5 singles. Potts disposed of Keilly Ulery in straight sets 7-5, 7-5. Potts improves to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in dual matches.
Notre Dame secured the all-important doubles point. The Irish did not get off to an ideal start in doubles, as Krisik and Rielley were defeated 8-5 by Amanda Taylor and Courtney Ulery at No. 2. Krisik and Rielley, ranked 50th in the country, dropped to 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in dual matches. Taylor and Ulery improve to 5-0 in dual matches.
The Irish drew even following Buck and Tefft’s 8-5 victory over Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman at No. 1. Buck and Tefft extended their career-best winning streak to 12 matches and now stand 13-2 overall and 2-0 in dual action.
The doubles point came down to the No. 3 position. Ciobanu and freshman Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, TX) survived a tiebreaker 9-8 (7-4) over Carolina Ferrell and Keilly Ulery. Ciobanu and Rafael improve to 6-1 on the year and 2-0 in dual matches.
The Irish return to action on Thursday, Jan. 31 against No. 23 Michigan. First-serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The meeting will conclude Notre Dame’s three-match road trip to open the season.
— ND —