Oct. 22, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Two University of Notre Dame women’s tennis doubles teams advanced through the opening two rounds of play in the main draw on Friday in the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility to earn spots in the round of 16 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Championships. The Irish also had one team lose in the round of 32 of the doubles bracket, plus one player fail in her bid to earn a spot in the singles main draw. ND is one of four schools to have multiple teams among the final 16, along with Ohio State (three), Northwestern, and Indiana.
Seniors Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) won a pair of matches on Friday. They won 8-2 over Kristin Chamberlin and Lindsay Sellers from Cleveland State before downing Andrea Meister and Heidi Romer of Bowling Green 8-3. The senior pair – now 8-3 on the season – next has Sarah Andrews and Christine Bader from Michigan State in the round of 16.
The fourth-seeded and 60th-ranked duo of sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) received a bye in the opening round and then won 8-6 over Elizabeth Exon and Debra Streifler of Michigan in round two. Next up for them is the Western Michigan team of Carrie Jeanmaire and Malena Remynse.
Senior Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) and freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) won 8-1 over Lisa Bartelheim and Ashley Coulson in the opening round, but then fell 8-6 against Sonia Ruzimovsky and Angela DiPastina from Ohio State.
For the third time in her career, Nelson fell one victory shy of earning a bid in the singles main draw. She lost in the qualifying round on Friday to Allie Shafner of Michigan 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Irish have seven players – Connelly, Stastny, juniors Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), Buck, Potts, and Tefft – in the singles main draw of the Midwest Championships, which begins on Saturday.
The Thompson sisters, who are ranked #2 in the nation, will not compete as they have already secured a position in the 16-team main draw of the season’s second grand slam, the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, to which the champion of this tournament earns entry.
ITA Midwest Championships (October 21)Singles - QualifyingAllie Shafner (Michigan) def. Kelly Nelson (ND) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2Doubles - Main DrawKelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) def. Lisa Bartelheim/Ashley Coulson (IPFW) 8-1 - first roundLauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Kristin Chamberlin/Lindsay Sellers (Cleveland State) 8-2 - first round[4] #60 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) def. Elizabeth Exon/Debra Streifler (Michigan) 8-6 - second roundSonia Ruzimovsky/Angela DiPastina (Ohio State) def. Kelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) 8-6 - second roundLauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Andrea Meister/Heidi Romer (Bowling Green) 8-3 - second round