Oct. 1, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. & LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) and senior Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) claimed flight championships in singles Saturday at the Hoosier Classic at Indiana University, while junior Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) knocked off a pair of nationally-ranked players in prequalifying for the season’s first grand slam, the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Tefft was dominating in singles in her first collegiate tournament, winning the “C” flight singles championship by dropping just nine total games in six sets. On Saturday, she beat Brianna Williams – who played Nos. 4 and 5 for Indiana last spring – 6-2, 6-2 in the title match to conclude her run.
Nelson – who won the “B” flight consolation championship in last weekend’s Maryland Invitational in her return to collegiate action for the first time in 22 months – claimed the “D” flight title in the Hoosier Classic. In the final, she downed Vivian Yrureta of Kansas State 6-3, 6-3. Nelson has now won five in a row after dropping her first match of the season.
Thompson began her season by losing just nine total games en route to knocking off a pair of ranked players. She first won 6-3, 6-2 against the draw’s No. 12 seed, 120th-ranked Emily Kirchem, who played Nos. 1 and 2 for Colorado State last season. Thompson then won 6-3, 6-1 over 125th-ranked senior Natalie Braverman of Pepperdine. She has played No. 1 for most of her career with the Waves, peaking at 21st in the national rankings. Thompson – who had a strong rookie season at No. 2 for the Irish before struggling much of last year due to injuries – earned her 40th career victory in the second match. She will play on Sunday against 102nd-ranked senior Kelly Anderson, who played Nos. 2 and 3 for Georgia Tech a year ago. The victor in that match will earn a spot in the All-American Championships qualifying draw, which will be contested Tuesday and Wednesday and already features 27th-ranked Irish junior Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) – Christian’s twin sister. On Saturday, Christian equaled her career total of wins over ranked players in singles. She had not beaten a ranked opponent in more than a year, since a 6-4, 6-4 victory over then-#67 Lynzee Kever of Colorado in the Colorado Invitational.
Saturday was the first day of doubles action in the Hoosier Classic, and a pair of Notre Dame teams won two matches to reach the semifinals. The 60th-ranked pair of Tefft and sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) – reunited this fall after formerly being the nation’s top-ranked 18-and-under team in juniors action – first won 8-4 against Brittany Brown and Christine Skoda of Kansas and then topped Tamar Kvaratskhelia and Katka Kudlackova from Kansas State 8-3. Buck and Tefft will have Alba Berdala and Cecile Perton of Indiana in Sunday’s semis.
Notre Dame seniors Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) will be in the other semifinal against the top-ranked doubles team in the tournament, #19 Sarah Batty and Laura McGaffigan of IU. The Irish duo beat Murray State’s Anna and Rachael Lusk 8-2 and then topped Marina Chiarelli and Mykala Hedberg of LSU by an 8-5 score in the quarters. The Notre Dame veterans had never played together until last weekend, when they won the “A” flight consolation title in the Maryland Invitational.
Irish players finished second in both the “A” and “B” flights in singles. Buck – who, at a career-high 54th, is the highest-ranked singles player in the tournament – lost to IU’s Batty 6-2, 6-2 in the “A” flight championship. It was the second time in 2005 that Batty upset Buck, after having done so in three sets last spring in dual action at No. 2. In the “B” flight, freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) lost a match tiebreaker against another Hoosier, McGaffigan, after winning a pair of them on Friday.
Stastny earned a match-tiebreaker victory in consolation play against Ksenia Bukina, winning 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4) in “B” flight action. Nelson and Potts also played doubles together, but lost a pair of tiebreakers on Saturday.
Sunday will feature the final two rounds of doubles in the Hoosier Classic, plus the last round of prequalifying in the All-American Championships.
Hoosier Classic, Day Two (October 1)Singles - "A" Flight#82 Sarah Batty (Indiana) d. #54 Brook Buck (ND) 6-2, 6-2 - championshipSingles - "B" FlightLaura McGaffigan (Indiana) d. Katie Potts (ND) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) - championshipKristina Stastny (ND) d. Ksenia Bukina (Kansas) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4) - consolationSingles - "C" FlightKelcy Tefft (ND) d. Brianna Williams (Indiana) 6-2, 6-2 - championshipSingles - "D" FlightKelly Nelson (ND) d. Vivian Yrureta (Kansas State) 6-3, 6-3 - championshipSingles#90 Dora Vastag (Indiana) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-2, 6-3 - consolationDoublesElizaveta Avdeeva/Ksenia Bukina (Kansas) d. Kelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) 9-8 (9-7) - first roundLauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Anna Lask/Rachael Lask (Murray State) 8-2 - first round#60 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) d. Brittany Brown/Christine Skoda (Kansas) 8-4 - first roundLauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Marina Chiarelli/Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 8-5 - quarterfinals#60 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) d. Tamar Kvaratskhelia/Katka Kudlackova (Kansas State) 8-3 - quarterfinalsJessica Simova/Olga Kilmova (Kansas State) d. Kelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) 9-8 (7-1) - consolation
Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships (October 1)Singles - PrequalifyingChristian Thompson (ND) d. [12] #120 Emily Kirchem (Colorado State) 6-3, 6-2 - first roundChristian Thompson (ND) d. #125 Natalie Braverman (Pepperdine) 6-3, 6-1 - second round
Note: Numbers in brackets are seedings. Numbers preceding names are ITA national rankings.