Feb. 15, 2001
MADISON, Wis. — The 11th-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team won the doubles point and then took four of six singles matches to beat 40th-ranked Oklahoma State 5-2 on Thursday in the first round of the United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Women’s Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. Senior All-American Michelle Dasso won at No. 1 singles to tie the Irish school record of 122 for career singles victories. Notre Dame improves to 6-1 with the win and will take on second-ranked and defending NCAA champion Georgia in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The fifth-ranked doubles team of Dasso and junior Becky Varnum defeated the 45th-ranked team of Ashleigh Dolman and Maria Phillips 8-1 at No. 1 doubles. Junior Lindsey Green and Nina Vaughan then clinched the doubles point with an 8-4 win over Dominika Olszewska and Kate Vasylyeva at No. 3 doubles.
Dasso’s record-tying singles win gave the Irish a 2-0 lead. She beat Phillips 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 singles for her 122nd career singles record, matching the record set just last year by Kelly Zalinski. Dasso could break the record tomorrow with a victory over Georgia’s 22nd-ranked Aarthi Venkatesan.
After Dasso’s win, Oklahoma State rallied to tie the match at 2-2 with wins at Nos. 3 and 5 singles. The Irish rallied to win three straight-set matches for the victory. Junior Becky Varnum won the clinching match at No. 2 singles with her 6-3, 6-3 win over Olszewska. Freshman Caylan Leslie won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles, while Green was a 6-3, 6-3 winner at No. 6 singles.
Notre Dame will be looking for its first win over Georgia after four previous losses — including a 6-0 loss to the top-ranked Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the 1995 USTA/ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships. The teams have not met since a 5-4 Georgia win in 1996. The Irish also will be in search of their first quarterfinal win at the USTA/ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships after three previous chances to reach their first semifinal.
#11 NOTRE DAME 5, #40 OKLAHOMA STATE 2
Singles
No. 1: #2 Michelle Dasso (ND) def. Maria Phillips (OSU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 2: Becky Varnum (ND) def. Dominika Olszewska (OSU) 6-3, 6-3
No. 3: Linda Faltynkova (OSU) def. Nina Vaughan (ND) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
No. 4: Caylan Leslie (ND) def. Katia Kolodynska (OSU) 6-2, 6-0
No. 5: Kate Vasylyeva (OSU) def. Kimberly Guy (ND) 6-2, 7-5
No. 6: Lindsey Green (ND) def. Ashleigh Dolman (OSU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1: #5 Dasso/Varnum (ND) #45 def. Phillips/Dolman (OSU) 8-1
No. 2: Katie Cunha/Guy (ND) def. Faltynkova/Kolodynska (OSU) 8-7
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) def. Dominika Olszewska/Kate Vasylyeva (OSU) 8-4