April 1, 2001
The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team, ranked seventh in the nation, beat 42nd-ranked William & Mary 7-0 Sunday afternoon at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The shutout was the eighth for Notre Dame this season and the Irish have now won 26 of their last 27 home regular-season matches. The win was the eighth in a row at home for Notre Dame and the Irish are 17-4 overall this season, matching the best start since the program gained Division I status in 1985-86. Notre Dame also started 17-4 in both the `85-’86 and the 1995-96 seasons. Senior All-American Michelle Dasso beat Delphine Troch 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, extending her unbeaten streak in home singles matches to 30, dating back to the 1998-99 season. Notre Dame returns to action Wednesday, when the Irish go on the road to take on #38 Indiana at 3:00 p.m.
Dasso and junior Becky Varnum, the fifth-ranked doubles team in the country, continued their dominance by winning their 13th consecutive match, defeating Troch and Jessyca Arthur 8-4 at No. 1 doubles. Dasso and Varnum are 16-2 in dual matches this season. Juniors Lindsey Green and Nina Vaughan clinched the doubles point with an 8-5 win over Kari Olsen and Kelli Partlow at No. 3 doubles, their eighth triumph in a row. The No. 2 doubles team of senior Kimberly Guy and sophomore Katie Cunha completed the Irish sweep by beating Nina Kamp and Lindsay Sullivan 8-4.
The Irish took a 2-0 lead when Cunha defeated Partlow 6-0, 6-2 at No. 6 singles. Vaughan then notched a victory at No. 3 singles, when she beat Kamp 6-3, 6-2. Varnum clinched the Notre Dame win by beating Arthur 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. After Dasso’s win, which improved her season singles record to 30-8, Guy beat Olsen 6-3, 7-5 at No. 5 singles. Green secured the Irish shutout by knocking off Sullivan 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 at No. 4 singles. She is now 5-0 in her career in the No. 4 singles slot.
#7 NOTRE DAME 7, #42 WILLIAM & MARY 0
Singles
No. 1: #3 Michelle Dasso (ND) def. Delphine Troch (WM) 6-4, 6-3
No. 2: Becky Varnum (ND) def. Jessyca Arthur (WM) 6-3, 6-3
No. 3: Nina Vaughan (ND) def. Nina Kamp (WM) 6-3, 6-2
No. 4: Lindsey Green (ND) def. Lindsay Sullivan (WM) 7-6 (4), 6-2
No. 5: Kimberly Guy (ND) def. Kari Olsen (WM) 6-3, 7-5
No. 6: Katie Cunha (ND) 6-3, 6-4 def. Kelli Partlow (WM) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1: #5 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. Arthur/Troch (WM) 8-4
No. 2: Cunha/Guy (ND) def. Kamp/Sullivan (WM) 8-4
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) def. Olsen/Partlow (WM) 8-5