April 5, 2001
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The eighth-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis won the doubles point and split the singles matches to beat host and 36th-ranked Illinois 4-3 for the ninth straight time on Thursday. Senior All-American and third-ranked Michelle Dasso provided the decisive singles victory with her three-set win at No. 1 singles. The Irish improved to 19-4 with the win and are off to their best start ever under 12th-year head coach Jay Louderback and the best since 1986. Notre Dame returns to action on Wednesday when they play host to Purdue.
The Irish started the match by sweeping the double to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles competition. Junior Lindsey Green and Nina Vaughan beat Eva Choe and Carla Rosenberg 8-3 at No. 3 doubles, while sophomore Katie Cunha and senior Kimberly Guy clinched the point with an 8-5 win over Eldina Fazlic and Jennifer McGaffigan at No. 2 doubles. The fifth-ranked pair of Dasso and junior Becky Varnum nipped Simone Kung and Michelle Webb 9-8 (7-4) at No. 1 doubles.
The top half of the singles lineup were winners for the Irish. Varnum dropped just one game in beating Fazlic 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, while Vaughan downed Choe 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. Dasso then made it 4-0 with her 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 victory over 91st-ranked Jennifer McGaffigan at No. 1 singles. Illinois then won three matches at the bottom half of the lineup after the outcome of the match had been determined.
#8 NOTRE DAME 4, #36 ILLINOIS 3
Singles
No. 1: #3 Michelle Dasso (ND) def. #91 Jennifer McGaffigan (I) 6-1, 1-6, 6-3
No. 2: Becky Varnum (ND) def. Eldina Fazlic (I) 6-1, 6-0
No. 3: Nina Vaughan (ND) def. Eva Choe (I) 6-1, 6-3
No. 4: Simone Kung (I) def. Caylan Leslie (ND) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
No. 5: Carla Rosenberg (I) def. Lindsey Green (ND) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
No. 6: Michelle Webb (I) def. Kimberly Guy (ND) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1: #5 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. Kung/Webb (I) 9-8 (7-4)
No. 2: Katie Cunha/Guy (ND) def. Fazlic/McGaffigan (I) 8-5
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) def. Choe/Rosenberg (I) 8-3