Feb. 15, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The 15th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team won 6-1 at #30 Michigan (2-3) Wednesday afternoon in the Varsity Tennis Center. The Irish – off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1997-98 – will return home for a big weekend of action, playing host to #22 Tennessee on Saturday at Noon (EST) and #9 Harvard on Sunday at 10 a.m., with both matches in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The latter one will be the first matchup of top-15 squads at ND since 2000-01.
The Irish – the only Division I squad with three nationally-ranked teams – swept the doubles matches for the fourth time this spring and then earned straight-set victories in singles at Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 6 to clinch the win. ND then won a match tiebreaker at No. 5, while the Wolverines avoided the shutout by winning one at No. 4.
Done first in doubles was the 45th-ranked duo of seniors Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) and team captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.), who beat Lindsey Howard and Nina Yaftali 8-3 at No. 3. The Notre Dame veterans lead the team in doubles victories, having combined for a 16-5 overall record, including 5-0 in dual action at No. 3.
The top-ranked doubles team in college tennis, junior All-America twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), rebounded from just their second defeat of the season to clinch the doubles point with an 8-3 triumph over Kara Delicata and Allie Shafner at No. 1. The sisters provided the clinching victory for the 12th time in their careers and moved to 9-2 on the season.
Sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.), ranked 35th, finished the sweep with an 8-6 victory against Debra Streifler and Chisako Sugiyama at No. 2. They have now won eight in a row (dating back to Oct. 23) and stand 15-2 on the season (5-0 dual).
Done first in singles was Buck, who beat Sugiyama 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 to snap a two-match losing streak. Catrina Thompson, ranked 24th, then beat Delicata 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 to put the Irish within a point of victory. The Irish sophomore leads the team in singles victories with a 14-6 record, including 4-1 in dual play at No. 1.
Freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) clinched the Notre Dame win for the second time in three matches. She beat Shafner 6-0, 6-4 at No. 6 for her ninth consecutive win, dating back to Oct. 22. Potts now stands 11-3 on the season, including 5-0 in dual action.
Christian Thompson, ranked 44th, beat 48th-ranked Yaftali 6-4, 7-5 at No. 2 to make the score 5-0. She is 11-4 on the season (4-1 dual), including 7-3 against nationally-ranked opponents.
Stastny topped Elizabeth Exon 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5) at No. 5 to make it 6-0. The Notre Dame senior extended her career-long winning streak to seven matches and improved to 14-4 overall in 2005-06 (5-0 dual). Streifler rallied to win consecutive tiebreakers over Tefft to give Michigan its lone point, with a 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-3) win at No. 4.
Notre Dame beat Michigan for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings and now leads the all-time series 16-8.
#15 Notre Dame 6, #30 Michigan 1SinglesNo. 1: #24 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. Kara Delicata (M) 6-2, 6-1No. 2: #44 Christian Thompson (ND) def. #48 Nina Yaftali (M) 6-4, 7-5No. 3: Brook Buck (ND) def. Chisako Sugiyama (M) 6-1, 6-0No. 4: #76 Debra Streifler (M) def. Kelcy Tefft (ND) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-3)No. 5: Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Elizabeth Exon (M) 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5)No. 6: * Katie Potts (ND) def. Allie Shafner (M) 6-0, 6-4Order of Finish: 3, 1, 6*, 2, 5, 4DoublesNo. 1: * #1 Thompson/Thompson (ND) def. Delicata/Shafner (M) 8-3No. 2: #35 Buck/Tefft (ND) def. Streifler/Sugiyama (M) 8-6No. 3: #45 Lauren Connelly/Stastny (ND) def. Lindsey Howard/Yaftali (M) 8-3Order of Finish: 3, 1*, 2