Feb. 23, 2001
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The sixth-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team won the doubles point and split the six singles matches to beat 46th-ranked Kansas State 4-3 on Friday at the Wildcat’s Ahearn Field House. Juniors Becky Varnum and Nina Vaughan and freshman Caylan Leslie rolled through their singles match lead the Irish, who improve to 8-2 with the win. They continue their trip through Kansas when they travel to Lawrence to take on BYU on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. before facing Kansas on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Notre Dame used 8-6 wins at all three doubles spots to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles. The fifth-ranked team of senior All-American Michelle Dasso and Varnum beat Alena Jecminkova and Eva Novotna at No. 1 doubles, while sophomore Katie Cunha and senior Kimberly Guy downed Kathy Chuda and Petra Sedimajerova at No. 2 doubles. Leslie and Vaughan defeated Paulina Castillejos and Hayley McIver at No. 3 doubles.
The middle of the Irish lineup carried them to the win as Varnum, Vaughan and Leslie combined to lose just 13 games combined in the six sets they played. Varnum rolled past Sedimajerova 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2 singles, while Vaughan was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Novotna at No. 3 singles. Leslie beat Castillejos 6-0, 6-3 at No. 4 singles.
Kansas State posted two straight-set wins — including a rare dual-match loss for second-ranked Dasso at No. 1 singles — and won a long three-set match at No. 6 singles.
#6 NOTRE DAME 4, #46 KANSAS STATE 3
Singles
No. 1: Alena Jecminkova (KS) def. #2 Michelle Dasso (ND) 6-2, 6-0
No. 2: Becky Varnum (ND) def. Petra Sedimajerova (KS) 6-1, 6-3
No. 3: Nina Vaughan (ND) def. Eva Novotna (KS) 6-2, 6-4
No. 4: Caylan Leslie (ND) def. Paulina Castillejos (KS) 6-0, 6-3
No. 5: Kathy Chuda (KS) def. Kimberly Guy (ND) 6-2, 6-1
No. 6: Hayley McIver (KS) def. Katie Cunha (ND) 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 (11-9)
Doubles
No. 1: #5 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. Jecminkova/Novotna (KS) 8-6
No. 2: Cunha/Guy (ND) def. Chuda/Sedimajerova (KS) 8-6
No. 3: Leslie/Vaughan (ND) def. Castillejos/McIver (KS) 8-6