March 14, 2006
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#2 Notre Dame (12-0) vs. #5 Duke (8-2)Wednesday, March 15, 10 a.m. (ET) • Sanlando Park •Orlando, Florida
#2 Notre Dame vs. #48 Texas A&M (5-6)Saturday, March 18, 1:30 p.m. (CT) • George P. Mitchell Tennis Center • College Station, Texas- Live Scoring Updates: aggieathletics.com (also linked on und.com)
#2 Notre Dame vs. #11 Texas (8-5)Monday, March 20, 5:30 p.m. (CT) • Penick-Allison Tennis Center •Austin, Texas- Live Scoring Updates: texassports.com (also linked on und.com)
#2 IRISH HEAD SOUTH FOR THREE BIG SPRING BREAK MATCHES: The #2-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team heads south for spring break this week and will face a trio of difficult tests. The Irish will look for their first-ever victory against #5 Duke (8-2) on Wednesday at 10 a.m. (EST) in a match to be played in Sanlando Park in Orlando, Fla. Notre Dame will then head west to play at #48 Texas A&M (5-6) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (CST) and at #11 Texas (8-5) on Monday at 5:30 p.m. (CST).
SCOUTING DUKE: The Blue Devils have an 8-2 record and are fifth in the ITA national rankings (matching their season high) … they are 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and stand as one of four squads (along with #3 North Carolina, #8 Georgia Tech, and #10 Miami) to be unbeaten in league play … Duke has won four in a row after suffering back-to-back 4-3 losses … the Devils most-recently beat Yale 7-0 in Orlando on Monday … Duke was ranked 14th in the preseason, but started the spring with four straight wins, beating then-#8 Baylor (5-2) and #18 California (4-3) to reach the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championshp before losing 4-3 to #15 Texas … the Blue Devils have five wins over teams currently in the top 25: #6 Northwestern (5-2), #9 Cal, #15 Baylor, #18 Wake Forest (5-2), and #25 Tennessee (6-1) …Duke’s other defeat came at #28 William & Mary … the Blue Devils and Notre Dame have faced three common opponents: the Demon Deacons (ND won 4-3), Lady Vols (ND won 7-0), and Indiana (ND won 7-0, Duke won 6-1) … Duke returned seven letterwinners and three of six starters from last year’s team that was 16-11 and ranked 17th in the nation … the Blue Devils finished seventh in the ACC with a 5-5 record and lost 4-1 to Miami in the quarterfinals of the league tournament … Duke got an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and beat Michigan 4-1 in the opening round before losing to North Carolina, 4-0 … gone from that squad is Katie Blaszak, who finished last year ranked 62nd … the Blue Devils have a potent trio of newcomers, as junior Daniela Bercek from Serbia and Montenegro – a four-time All-American – transferred from UCLA prior to the season, and freshmen Tara Iyer and Melissa Mang also have been impact players … Bercek is ranked #1 in the nation with a 15-1 record (8-0 at No. 1), with her lone defeat coming in the title match of the season’s first grand slam, the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships … senior Jackie Carleton is ranked 19th with a 16-7 record (8-2 dual at Nos. 1-2), though one of her defeats came in three sets against Irish junior Catrina Thompson in the All-American Championships qualifying draw … that was one of four ND-Duke matchups in the fall, all of which were won by the Irish … Iyer is ranked 62nd with a 12-10 overall record (4-5 at Nos. 2-4), while Mang entered the rankings last week at 122nd for the first time (17-8 record; 9-1 dual, mostly at No. 4) … Bercek and freshman Jessi Robinson are ranked 11th nationally in doubles with a 14-4 record (6-2 at No. 1) … Mang and junior Jennifer Zika from Austria are ranked 53rd with a 14-3 mark (9-1 dual, mostly at No. 3) … head coach Jamie Ashworth is in his 10th season as head coach of the Blue Devils, having compiled a 217-43 (.835) record, including 9-0 against Notre Dame … next up for Duke is a home match with Princeton next Wednesday, March 22.
IRISH-BLUE DEVILS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Duke will meet for the 14th consecutive season, with the Blue Devils holding a 12-0 edge in the series (see page 43 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), while the 1994 match was suspended at 3-3 … no team has played the Irish more times without having been defeated (Stanford is next at six) … the 12-match streak is the longest-ever skid by Notre Dame against a single opponents (next is an 11-match losing streak against Northwestern from 1976-91) … only Northwestern (20) has more all-time victories against the Irish … this will be the fourth meeting between the schools at a neutral site, after having played in Williamsburg, Va., in 1995 (7-2 score); Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2000 (5-1); and Waikoloa, Hawaii, in 2004 (6-1) … the schools first played in 1993, when fourth-ranked Duke won 8-1 against the 22nd-ranked Irish at Notre Dame … the next year saw the teams split the six singles matches, but darkness in Durham, N.C., forced the match to be suspended and never resumed … Notre Dame’s other close calls came in 2001 and `05 … the former occasion saw fourth-ranked Duke sweep the doubles and get a trio of straight-set singles wins to take a 4-3 decision at #13 Notre Dame in the dual opener for both teams … a year ago, the 20th-ranked Irish were poised to break the drought, building up a 3-0 lead that would eventually evaporate, as #5 Duke won a third-set tiebreaker to escape … the decisive match turned out to be No. 4, where Saras Arasu won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 against current Irish senior captain Lauren Connelly … this will be the first time in the series that Notre Dame is the higher-ranked squad and just the second that both teams are in the national top 10 (#3 Duke 5, #8 ND 2 in 1996 in Durham) … Notre Dame has never faced a Duke team ranked lower than eighth, and this will be the 11th time in 14 meetings that the Blue Devils have been in the top five … Notre Dame has a 53-39 (.576) all-time record against the current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (2-0 this season), including 49-31 (.613) under Louderback … the only conference that the Irish hold more all-time victories against is the Big Ten (125-73 record, 99-34 under Louderback).
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M: The Aggies have a 5-6 record and are a season-low 48th in the ITA national rankings … they beat Iowa State (7-0) in their Big 12 Conference opener and are one of four schools unbeaten in league play (along with #11 Texas, #15 Baylor, and Oklahoma) … the Aggies – who were 29th in the preseason – have lost four of their last six, including two in a row … all of Texas A&M’s losses have come against teams currently ranked in the top 35 … the top wins for the Aggies have come against #60 LSU and #67 Houston … Notre Dame and A&M have played two common opponents: North Carolina and Wake Forest … the Irish beat the Tar Heels 5-1 and won 4-3 against the Demon Deacons, while the Aggies lost 5-2 to both … Texas A&M returned six letterwinners, including four of six starters, from last year’s squad that was 16-13 and ranked 31st in the nation … the Aggies finished fourth in the Big 12 with an 8-3 record and lost in the semifinals of the league tournament …A&M gained an at-large nod into the NCAA Championship, defeating UNLV (4-0) in the opening round before losing to eventual NCAA runner-up Texas (4-1) … gone from that squad are Helga Viera (finished season ranked 47th in singles, NCAA singles round of 16) and Lauren Walker (ranked 48th in doubles) … the top player on the current squad is junior Anna Lubinsky, who is ranked 66th with a 13-9 record (7-4 dual at No. 1) … one of her defeats came in a 6-0, 6-2 decision against Irish junior Catrina Thompson in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships … Lubinsky and fellow junior Nicki Mechem are ranked 55th in doubles, having posted a 4-1 record at No. 2 this spring … Bobby Kleinecke is in his 21st season as head coach of the Aggies, having compiled a 325-220 (.596) record, including 1-2 against Notre Dame … next up for A&M is a home match on Tuesday against #8 Georgia Tech before jumping back into conference action.
IRISH-AGGIES SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Texas A&M will meet for the first time since 1993 and the fourth time overall, with the Irish holding a 2-1 edge in the series (see page 43 of the ND media guide for scores of every match) … this is Notre Dame’s first trip to A&M since 1992 and third overall (tied 1-1) … the schools first met in 1990 in College Station, with the 19th-ranked Aggies winning 7-1 … in 1992, Notre Dame got a 5-2 victory on the road, and the 23rd-ranked Irish prevailed 9-0 at home a year later … this will be the first time both teams are carrying national rankings … Notre Dame has a 27-15 (.643) all-time record against the current members of the Big 12 Conference, including 25-11 (.694) under head coach Jay Louderback.
SCOUTING TEXAS: The Longhorns have an 8-5 record and are 11th in the ITA national rankings … they are 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference and stand as one of four squads (along with #15 Baylor, #48 Texas A&M, and Oklahoma) to be unbeaten in league play … the Longhorns are on the road for three matches this week, having beaten #20 William & Mary (5-2) on Monday before playing at #25 Tennessee on Wednesday and at #13 Vanderbilt on Friday … UT has had an up-and-down season, as it began the spring at #3, dropped to 15th for one week only to skyrocket back up to third after reaching the title match of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship (losing 4-0 to #1 Stanford) … after four straight weeks at #3, the Longhorns have fallen in the rankings again … they beat three current top-10 teams in the National Indoors: #5 Duke (4-3), #8 Georgia Tech (5-2), and Miami (4-3) … all five losses have come against teams currently in the top 15 … ND and UT have not currently played any common opponents, but the Irish will face Duke (UT won 4-3) on Wednesday, and the Longhorns will play Tennessee (ND won 7-0) on Friday … Texas returned six of seven letterwinners from last year’s squad that was 25-6 and ranked third in the nation … the Longhorns went 10-1 in the Big 12, finishing second in the regular season to Baylor before winning 4-3 against the Bears in the title match of the league tournament … Texas then got hot in the NCAA tournament, beating Southern (4-0), Texas A&M (4-1), Georgia Tech (4-3), Kentucky (4-2), and Florida (4-3) to advance all the way to the final before Stanford ended UT’s 12-match winning streak in a 4-0 decision … gone from that team is Katie Ruckert, who was ranked 30th in doubles and earned an invitation to the NCAA doubles tournament … three current Longhorns are in the national singles rankings … junior Petra Dizdar from Croatia is 57th with a 10-11 record, including 4-7 in dual play at Nos. 1 and 2 … another Croatian, senior Mia Marovic, is 71st with a 10-5 record (8-3 dual, mostly at No. 3) …sophomore Courtney Zauft is 125th with an 11-8 record, including 7-4 at No. 4 … senior Kendra Strohm has been ranked as high as 38th during her career, but is 9-12 this season (3-8 dual at Nos. 1-3) … head coach Patty Fendick-McCain is in her first season as head coach of the Longhorns after spending the previous eight at Washington … she has a 132-71 (.650) career mark, including 0-1 against Notre Dame … after taking on the Irish, UT will return to league action, traveling to Oklahoma and #52 Oklahoma State on March 25 and 26.
IRISH-LONGHORNS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Texas will meet for the fifth consecutive season and 11th time overall, with the Longhorns holding an 8-2 edge in the series (see page 43 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), including wins in five of the last six meetings … the last Irish victory in the series came by a 6-1 score in 2003 at home … only three schools (Northwestern +12, Duke +12, Tennessee +7) hold larger advantages in their all-time series with Notre Dame … Notre Dame is 1-5 all-time in Austin, with its lone win coming in a 5-4 decision in 1996 … the schools first played in 1990, with the ninth-ranked Longhorns winning 9-0 in Austin … ND and UT played three years in a row then and for three straight years later in the `90s before the current incarnation of the series … a year ago, Texas won 4-3 in the Eck Tennis Pavilion …this will be just the second time in the series that Notre Dame is the higher-ranked team … #15 Texas won 6-3 at #14 ND in 1997 … this will be the third time that both teams are ranked in the top 15 (tied 1-1) … Notre Dame has a 53-39 (.576) all-time record against the current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (2-0 this season), including 49-31 (.613) under Louderback … the only conference that the Irish hold more all-time victories against is the Big Ten (125-73 record, 99-34 under Louderback).
ND REMAINS ALL-TIME HIGH OF #2 IN FILA COLLEGIATE TENNIS RANKINGS: After a 7-0 win against #49 Western Michigan last week, the Irish appeared at #2 in this week’s Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, determined by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) computer formula. It matches the highest ITA ranking for Notre Dame since becoming a Division I program in 1985-86, after the Irish ascended to that spot a week ago. Notre Dame made up a bit of ground on two-time defending NCAA champion Stanford, as the Irish computer average of 93.20 is 7.80 behind the Cardinal’s 101.00 (last week’s margin was 8.75). Stanford has won 71 consecutive matches, dating back to the title match of the 2003 NCAA tournament. Rounding out the top five are North Carolina, USC, and Duke. In all, 19 of Notre Dame’s 23 regular-season opponents are listed among the 75 teams in this week’s rankings, with nine in the top 25: #3 North Carolina (W, 5-1), #5 Duke (March 15 in Orlando, Fla.), #6 Northwestern (April 5, home), #11 Texas (March 20, away), #13 Vanderbilt (March 29, away), #16 Harvard (W, 5-2), #18 Wake Forest (W, 4-3), #22 Michigan (W, 6-1), and #25 Tennessee (W, 7-0). Additionally, the Irish lost 4-3 to USC – currently ranked fourth – during the fall in exhibition action.
IRISH TO TAKE PART IN MATCHUP OF TOP-FIVE TEAMS FOR FIRST TIME: Wednesday’s match pitting second-ranked Notre Dame against #5 Duke will be the first time the Irish have ever taken part in a matchup of teams ranked among the nation’s top five. The Irish won their first-ever matchup of top-10 teams, as they won 5-4 at #5 Texas on April 4, 1996, when ND was ranked eighth.
IRISH OFF TO BEST START SINCE 1983-84: Notre Dame is 12-0 for just the second time in the 30-year varsity history of the program. The other occurrence came in 1983-84, when the Irish began with a program-record 15 consecutive victories en route to a 20-5 record and a third-place finish in the NCAA Division II Championship. The first defeat of that season came on March 27 in a 7-2 decision at home against Michigan.
ND’S BEST UNDEFEATED STARTS: See pdf for a list of Notre Dame’s best runs of consecutive victories to start a season.
BOTTOM OF ND LINEUP STANDS 57-2: The key to Notre Dame’s 12-0 start this season has been its outstanding depth, as the Irish hold a combined 57-2 (.966) mark in the bottom part of their lineups. Notre Dame is 33-2 (.943) combined at Nos. 4-6 in singles, as well as 24-0 at Nos. 2-3 doubles.
IRISH 12-0 AT No. 6 SINGLES, Nos. 2 & 3 DOUBLES: Thus far this spring, Notre Dame remains unbeaten in three positions in its lineups, as the Irish have gone 12-0 at No. 6 singles, as well as Nos. 2 and 3 in doubles. Freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) is 9-0 at the bottom singles spot, while senior Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) won there against Xavier and senior captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop Gorman H.S.) was victorious against Wisconsin and Western Michigan. Sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) are 9-0 at No. 2 doubles, while Connelly and fellow senior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) are 3-0. Connelly and Stastny are 9-0 at No. 3, with Nelson and Potts claiming a victory there in the Xavier match, and Potts teaming with junior Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) to beat Wisconsin and Western Michigan.
ND 33-3 IN DOUBLES THIS SPRING: Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable in partnered play this spring, going 33-3 (.917), winning the doubles point in all 12 matches, and standing a perfect 12-0 at both Nos. 2 and 3. In 24 of those contests (67%), the Irish have lost just three games or fewer. On the season, Notre Dame teams have combined for a 51-14 (.785) record in doubles. Junior All-America twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), ranked fourth nationally after giving ND its first-ever grand slam title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, stand 13-3 on the season (7-2 vs. ranked teams), while the No. 2 tandem of sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) – who were reunited this season after pairing to win five USTA super national titles in juniors play – are ranked 39th and sporting a 21-3 record (they had an 11-match winning streak snapped on Feb. 26 when they moved up to the No. 1 spot). Seniors Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) are 12-0 this spring and are 23-5 overall (3-1 against ranked teams) and ranked 46th in the nation. In all, the players on Notre Dame’s roster combined for 29 USTA super national gold balls in the juniors.
PROTECTING PERFECTION: Two Notre Dame players – senior team captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) – have yet to be defeated in either singles or doubles this spring. Connelly is 12-0 in doubles and 3-0 in singles, with her last defeat coming on Nov. 6 in an 8-6 decision in doubles against Illinois’ Brianna Knue and Macall Harkins in the Illini’s tournament, Midwest Blast VII. Potts is 12-0 this spring in singles and 3-0 in doubles, with her last defeat coming against Northwestern’s Nazlie Ghazal on Oct. 22 in the opening round of the ITA Midwest Championships.
POTTS CARRYING 16-MATCH WINNING STREAK: Freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) – who normally plays No. 6 – is 12-0 this spring in singles and has won 16 in a row, dating back to a 7-5, 6-4 decision against Northwestern’s Nazlie Ghazal on Oct. 22 in the opening round of the ITA Midwest Championships. It is the longest singles winning streak for a Notre Dame player since Marisa Velasco won the first 16 matches of her collegiate career, first losing on Feb. 17, 1996. She would put together a 14-match winning streak later en route to a 32-4 record. A win by Potts against Duke would make hers the longest streak for an Irish player since Holyn Lord won 23 in a row from Jan. 31-Sept. 25, 1993.
CONNELLY/STASTNY 12-0 THIS SPRING: Irish seniors Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) and Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) are also 12-0 this spring, having played mostly at No. 3. Their last defeat came on Nov. 6 in an 8-6 match against Illinois’ Brianna Knue and Macall Harkins in the Illini’s tournament, Midwest Blast VII. It is the longest winning streak by a Notre Dame doubles team since Becky Varnum and current assistant coach Michelle Dasso won 21 in a row from Feb. 17-May 13, 2001. This, however, is not the longest doubles winnng streak in the career of Connelly, who won 13 in a row from April 3-Oct. 14, 2004, with two different partners. ND sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) also had won 11 in a row before falling in a tiebreaker on Feb. 26 against Wisconsin’s 30th-ranked team of Caitlin Burke and Nicole Beck at No. 1.
SUPER SENIORS: Notre Dame’s three seniors that have seen action this spring – Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School), Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) and team captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) – have combined for a 40-1 (.977) record in dual action. Stastny leads the way at 11-1 in singles (mostly at No. 5) and 12-0 in doubles, all with Connelly (mostly at No. 3). The Irish captain is 3-0 in singles, with Nelson adding a win in both singles and doubles.
FABULOUS FROSH: Notre Dame’s two freshmen – Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) and Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) – have not had a difficult transition to the collegiate game, as they have combined for a 35-2 (.946) record this spring. Tefft leads the way at 8-1 in singles (mostly at No. 4), as well as 10-1 in doubles (mostly at No. 2), while Potts is perfect, with an 11-0 mark in singles (mostly at No. 6) and a 2-0 record at No. 3 doubles.
IRISH WIN 10+ IN A ROW FOR NINTH TIME: Notre Dame’s 12-0 start to the spring marks the ninth time in the 30-year varsity history of the program that the Irish have fashioned a streak of at least 10 consecutive victories. It is the longest winning streak for Notre Dame since winning 12 straight from March 28-May 15, 1999. The program record for consecutive victories is 20, which included the final nine matches of the 1979 (fall only) campaign, as well as the first 15 in 1980-81. The only other winning streak longer than the current one was a 16-match stretch that covered the final match of 1982-83 and the first 15 of `83-84.
LONGEST IRISH WINNING STREAKS: See pdf for a list of the longest winning streaks in the 30-year varsity history of Notre Dame women’s tennis.
ND BOASTING 13-MATCH WINNING STREAK AT HOME: Notre Dame has won 13 consecutive matches at home – four against top-25 opponents – since falling 4-3 to #13 Texas in the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Feb. 26, 2005. It is the eighth time in the 30-year varsity history of the program that the Irish have won 10 or more in a row at home. The previous such instance was a 13-match streak from Feb. 4, 2001 – Jan. 26, 2002. The longest home winning streak ever for Notre Dame was a stretch of 25 matches from Sept. 12, 1979 – Sept. 22, 1982.
LONGEST IRISH HOME WINNING STREAKS: See pdf for a list of the longest home winning streaks in the 30-year varsity history of Notre Dame women’s tennis.
IRISH GET TWO WINS OVER TOP-10 TEAMS IN FEBRUARY: After having not beaten a top-10 team since Feb. 7, 2002 (4-3 against #7 USC), Notre Dame knocked off #10 North Carolina (5-1) on Feb. 12 and then beat #9 Harvard (5-2) on Feb. 19. It marked just the third time since becoming a Division I program in 1985-86 that Notre Dame had defeated multiple top-10 squads in the same month. Both previous instances came in noteworthy seasons for the Irish, as the 1995-96 squad – which remains the only team in program history to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Championship – beat #9 Tennessee at home on Feb. 15 and then downed #6 California on Feb. 24 in the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Madison, Wis. The 2000-01 team – which peaked at an Irish all-time high of #5 in the national rankings on Feb. 28 – duplicated the feat by downing #8 Wake Forest on Feb. 10 at home and then defeating #7 Pepperdine on Feb. 17 in the Team Indoors. This year’s Irish team – which was ranked 22nd at the time it beat UNC – became the lowest-ranked Irish unit ever to knock off a top-10 opponent. That distinction had previously belonged to the 1993-94 team that was ranked 17th when it beat #10 Kansas in the National Team Indoor Championship.
TOP ALL-TIME IRISH WINS: See pdf for a list of Notre Dame’s 14 all-time victories against top-10 teams since becoming a Division I program in 1985-86, ordered by opponent ranking.
ND 7-0 AGAINST TOP-30 TEAMS: Notre Dame’s 12-0 start has seen the Irish take on seven squads ranked in the national top 30 at the time of the match. The Irish have wins against #23 Wake Forest (4-3), #10 North Carolina (5-1), #30 Michigan (6-1), #22 Tennessee (7-0), #9 Harvard (5-2), #20 Brigham Young (5-2), and #27 Indiana (7-0). During a 15-day stretch from Feb. 11-25, Notre Dame played six matches, with all of them against top-30 teams.
PUTTING THEM AWAY FAST: Not only has Notre Dame won all of its dual matches this spring, but it has put most of them away early, going up 4-0 in 10 of the 12 contests. The only match truly in question deep into the singles portion came on Feb. 11 at #23 Wake Forest, when the Irish built a 3-0 lead, but then had to win in three sets in the final match remaining to secure a 4-3 victory. The other contest in which ND did not clinch the match before the other side scored a point was on Feb. 25 against #20 Brigham Young, when the Irish clinched it at 4-1.
LOUDERBACK TWO AWAY FROM 500TH CAREER WIN: Notre Dame head coach Jay Louderback – in his 17th season with the Irish and his 27th overall as a head coach – enters Fridaay with 497 career victories as a head coach, needing just three to join an elite group of only 10 all-time women’s tennis head coaches to have posted 500+ career wins. He will be one of only seven active coaches in that club. Louderback holds a 498-324 (.605) overall record, including 294-146 (.667) at Notre Dame. He also ws 122-94 (.565) in seven years (1980-86) at Wichita State and 82-84 (.494) in three seasons (1986-89) coaching both men’s and women’s tennis at Iowa State. See pdf for the all-time career wins leaders for collegiate women’s tennis coaches, courtesy of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Records are as of March 13.
IRISH HEAD COACH: Jay Louderback is in his 17th season at Notre Dame with a 294-147 (.667) record and his 26th year as a collegiate coach with a 498-325 (.605) mark. He ranks seventh among active NCAA Division I coaches in career victories. Louderback’s Irish have finished in the national top 30 in each of the last 13 seasons and have won 12 conference titles. Since the preseason of the 1992-93 season, Louderback’s teams have been in the national top 30 in 209 of 211 sets of ITA rankings and reached an all-time high of #2 on March 7. After taking over a program looking for its first NCAA tournament appearance, Louderback has helped Notre Dame to the NCAAs 12 times in the last 13 years (which only 10 other schools have done), including five appearances in the round of 16 and a 1996 quarterfinal finish. Louderback, a four-time Midwest Region coach of the year, has been honored as his conference’s top coach on eight occasions, including five times in 10 years in the BIG EAST. In his time at Notre Dame, Louderback’s players have earned All-America honors 15 times, won four national ITA awards, and earned 20 invitations to the NCAA Singles Championship and 12 to the NCAA doubles tournament. In the fall, he delivered the first individual title in an ITA grand slam event, when junior twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) won the doubles crown in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. His players have dominated the University awards during Louderback’s tenure, leading all sports in both Byron V. Kanaley awards (six) and Francis Patrick O’Connor awards (six). His family was honored with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Tennis Family of the Year Award for 2002. The Arkansas City, Kan., native, and 1976 graduate of Wichita State arrived at Notre Dame prior to the 1989-90 season after coaching for seven years at his alma mater and three years (men and women) at Iowa State.
THOMPSONS GIVE ND TWO TOP-50 SINGLES PLAYERS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1999: Junior twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) – who are ranked 32nd and 48th, respectively, in singles in the latest edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings – have combined this spring to give Notre Dame multiple players among the national top 50 in singles for the first time since the initial set of spring rankings in 1998-99, when current assistant coach Michelle Dasso was eighth and Becky Varnum was 47th.
THOMPSONS GIVE ND FIRST-EVER GRAND SLAM TITLE: Junior All-America twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) fought off two match points and finally prevailed in a tiebreaker to give the University of Notre Dame its first-ever title in an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national championship, winning 9-8 (9-7) over Spaniard Lucia Sainz and German Kathrina Winterhalter from Fresno State in the final of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, the first grand slam of the 2005-06 season. Both teams had two match points in the contest, which is the closest doubles final in All-Amercan Championships history since the current pro-set format was adopted in 2001. The Thompsons are the first team from any school to reach the title match of the ITA All-American Championships in consecutive years and come away with a title. Each of the three previous back-to-back finalists had gone winless in both attempts. Notre Dame – which knocked off three top-seven teams to reach the final – lost just 16 total games in the tournament, the second-fewest ever by a doubles champion, behind only the 11 surrendered by Sarah Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos of Vanderbilt in 2002. The Irish opened with an 8-0 victory over the seventh-ranked team of Gabrielle Duch and Neyssa Etienne of South Florida. The twins beat #6 Alice Barnes/Anne Yelsey of Stanford 9-7 in the quarters and came back with an 8-1 triumph against #3 Iva Gersic/Maja Kovacek of New Mexico in the semifinals. Catrina and Christian are the second set of twins from any school – and the first in the All-Americans – ever to win an ITA national championship, following Tami and Teri Whitlinger of Stanford, who won the 1989 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. The Thompsons – who have been among the final four teams remaining in three of the last four grand slams – improved to 11-4 in their careers in grand slam events. They are now 7-1 in the All-American Championships after Irish competitors had been just 2-5 in its doubles main draw prior to that.
STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this week:
– Notre Dame is 12-0 this season. [last loss: 5/14/05 at #6 Northwestern, 4-0, NCAA second round]
– Notre Dame has won 13 consecutive home matches. [last loss: 2/26/05 vs. #13 Texas, 4-3]
– Notre Dame has won the doubles point in all 12 matches this sason. [last doubles-point loss: 5/14/05 vs. #6 Northwestern, lost at Nos. 2 and 3]
– Notre Dame is 0-12 all-time against Duke.
– Notre Dame has won at No. 6 singles in 16 consecutive matches. [last loss: 4/10/05, Indiana’s Cecile Perton def. Sarah Jane Connelly 6-1, 1-6, 6-3]
– Notre Dame has won at No. 2 doubles in every match this season. [last loss: 5/14/05, Northwestern’s Alexis Prousis/Kristi Roemer def. Brook Buck/Lauren Connelly 9-8 (7-4)]
– Notre Dame has won at No. 3 doubles in every match this season. [last loss: 5/14/05, Northwestern’s Feriel Esseghir/Valerie Vladea def. Sarah Jane Connelly/Kristina Stastny 8-4]
– Notre Dame has won 23 consecutive dual matches when winning at No. 3 singles. [last loss: 4/21/04 at #61 Purdue, 4-3, Catrina Thompson def. Amy Walgenbach 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3]
– Christian Thompson is 8-0 in her career in singles matches against BIG EAST Conference players.
– Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson are 4-0 this season in close matches (8-6, 9-7, 9-8). [last loss: 4/13/05 vs. Illinois’ Goulet/Wang 8-6]
– Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson have been ranked higher than their opponents in 18 consecutive matches. [last playing higher ranked team: 5/14/05 vs. #2 Audra Cohen/Cristelle Grier of Northwestern, #6 Thompsons won 8-3]
– Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson have been nationally-ranked heading into 56 consecutive matches. [last time unranked: 4/4/04 vs. Miami’s #22 Melissa Applebaum/Megan Bradley, won 8-6]
– Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson have been ranked in the top 10 heading into 48 consecutive matches. [last time ranked below 10th: 5/26/04 vs. William & Mary’s Megan Muth/Amy Wei, Thompsons ranked 36th]
– Brook Buck has won 31 consecutive matches when taking the opening set (29-1 career record). [only loss: 9/19/04 vs. Denver’s Jenny Trettin 1-6, 6-3, 6-1]
– Brook Buck has lost two games or fewer in eight consecutive sets. [last losing 3+ games: 2/25/06 vs. BYU’s Anastasia Sourkova, lost 7-6 (7-5) in second set]
– Kelcy Tefft has won seven consecutive singles matches. [last loss: 2/15/06 vs. Michigan’s Debra Streifler 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-3)]
– Kelcy Tefft has won 15 consecutive sets in singles. [last loss: 2/15/06 vs. Michigan’s Debra Streifler, 6-3 in first set]
– Kristina Stastny has won five consecutive singles matches. [last loss: 2/19/06 vs. Harvard’s Stephanie Schnitter 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 1-0 (10-5)]
– Kristina Stastny has won six consecutive singles matches on the road. [last loss: 11/4/05 vs. Illinois’ Brianna Knue 6-0, 6-1]
– Kristina Stastny has won 15 consecutive matches when taking the opening set. [last loss: 9/30/05 vs. Kansas State’s Tamar Kvaratskhelia 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)]
– Kristina Stastny is 4-0 in her career as the final match remaining with the doubles point still undecided.
– Lauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny have won 12 consecutive matches in doubles. [last loss: 11/6/05 vs. Illinois’ Knue/Harkins 8-6]
– Lauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny have lost three games or fewer in eight consecutive matches. [last losing 4+ games: 2/12/06 vs. North Carolina’s Meg Fanjoy/Austin Smith, won 8-6]
– Katie Potts has won 16 consecutive singles matches. [last loss: 10/22/05 vs. Northwestern’s Nazlie Ghazal 7-5, 6-4]
– Katie Potts has won 12 consecutive sets in singles. [last loss: 2/18/06 vs. Tennessee’s Samantha Orlin, 7-5 in second set]
– Katie Potts has won seven consecutive singles matches on the road. [last loss: 10/22/05 vs. Northwestern’s Nazlie Ghazal 7-5, 6-4]
– Katie Potts is 16-0 as a collegian when winning the first set.
– Lauren Connelly has won six consecutive singles matches. [last loss: 10/23/05 vs. #50 Alexis Prousis of Northwestern, 6-0, 6-2]
– Lauren Connelly has won 11 consecutive sets in singles. [last loss: 11/4/05 vs. Illinois’ Emily Wang, 6-2 in second set]
– Lauren Connelly has won seven consecutive singles matches against BIG EAST Conference players (9-1 career record). [only loss: 4/12/03 vs. Miami’s Sara Robbins 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4)]
– Kelly Nelson has won four consecutive singles matches. [last loss: 10/21/05 vs. Michigan’s Allie Shafner, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2]
– Kelly Nelson is 8-0 this season in close sets (6-4, 7-5, or 7-6). [last loss: 11/9/03 vs. Illinois’ Emily Wang, 7-6 in second set]
– Kelly Nelson has won six consecutive close singles matches (three sets, match tiebreaker, or two sets with difference of games of 4 or fewer). [last loss: 11/7/03 vs. Virginia’s Caroline Hammond 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 6-1]
– Kelly Nelson has won five consecutive singles matches outdoors. [last loss: 9/23/05 vs. West Virginia’s Monica Lyskawa 6-3, 6-2]
LONGEST LOSING STREAKS: See pdf for the longest losing streaks against a single opponent in the 30 seasons of Notre Dame varsity women’s tennis.
MOST LOSSES WITHOUT A WIN: See pdf for the list of teams that have played Notre Dame most without losing in the 30 years of varsity Irish women’s tennis.
MOST LOSSES AGAINST ONE TEAM: See pdf for the list of teams that have defeated Notre Dame most in its 30 years of varsity women’s tennis.
LARGEST DEFICIT IN ALL-TIME SERIES: See pdf for the list of teams that hold the largest leads in the all-time series against Notre Dame.
MOST LOSSES IN LOUDERBACK ERA: See pdf for the list of teams that have defeated Notre Dame most since head coach Jay Louderback began his tenure in 1989-90.
CONNELLY BECOMES 10th IRISH PLAYER TO REGISTER 100 COMBINED DUAL-MATCH VICTORIES: Against Western Michigan on March 10, senior captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) became the 10th player in program history to post 100 career combined (singles and doubles) victories in dual-match play. She enters spring break with a 39-32 career singles mark in dual action, as well as a 61-21 record in doubles.
CONNELLY NEARS SISTER’S RECORD FOR CAREER DOUBLES-POINT CLINCHING WINS: Senior Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) enters the week with 21 career victories that have clinched the doubles point, which puts her just one shy of the Irish record of 22 done by her sister, 2005 graduate Sarah Jane Connelly. The younger Connelly’s current doubles partner, fellow senior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy), has 20 career clinching wins to her credit. Note that the scoring format was changed to include a doubles point in 2001, which is when the statistic debuted.
THOMPSONS START SPRING AT #1: Notre Dame junior All-America twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) became the top-ranked doubles team in college tennis following the fall portion of the 2005-06 season when the Jan. 10 rankings were released. It was the second time that the Thompson sisters (as well as any ND duo) had been ranked #1 in the nation. They achieved that listing on Feb. 22, 2005, but it was short-lived, as the twins were defeated in their first match after that and fell to #2 in the next of rankings before finishing 2004-05 at fifth. This season, the Thompsons went 5-1 while being ranked #1, but fell to second in the Feb. 22 rankings. They remain only the second set of twin sisters ever to be ranked #1 by the ITA (Tami and Teri Whitlinger of Stanford in 1989). Stanford twins Mike and Bob Bryan – currently ranked #1 in the ATP’s world rankings – also were #1 in 1998.
TWO DECISIVE TIEBREAKERS GIVE USC 4-3 EXHIBITION WIN OVER ND: After nearly 10 hours of play (due to playing concurrent to a men’s match), the exhibition match between the Notre Dame and USC – which began the spring ranked fifth in the nation – on Oct. 14 came down to a single tiebreaker at No. 2 singles, where Dianne Matias prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) over Irish junior Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) to hand the Women of Troy a 4-3 victory. USC’s victory also was keyed by a tiebreaker victory in the final doubles match on court.
ND ONE OF FIVE SCHOOLS TO HAVE ENTIRE LINEUP IN REGIONAL RANKINGS: When the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its regional rankings at the end of the fall portion of the season, Notre Dame was one of only five Division I schools – along with Stanford, USC, Baylor, and California – to have its entire lineup earn regional ranks. In addition to having six players among the top 30 in the Midwest Region, three of the top five doubles teams in the region belong to the Irish; junior twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) were #1, while sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) came in fourth, and seniors Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) were fifth. Only one other school (Northwestern) had even multiple squads among the 15 Midwest Region doubles teams listed. In singles, Catrina Thompson led the way at third, while Christian Thompson was 10th, Buck came in 14th, Tefft was 18th, Connelly was 25th, and Stastny was 27th. The last time ND had the top doubles team in the Midwest Region rankings was at the conclusion of the 2000-01 campaign, when current assistant coach Michelle Dasso and Becky Varnum held that spot. Catrina Thompson is the highest-ranked ND singles player in the regional rankings since Alicia Salas concluded her career at #2 in 2003-04.
IRISH DEPTH ON DISPLAY AT ITA MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Notre Dame’s depth was evident at the ITA Midwest Championships – the annual indoor tournament of the top players in the Midwest Region. The Irish were one of just two schools (along with Northwestern) to have three players – senior captain Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and juniors Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) – among the final 16 in singles. Catrina Thompson reached the semis before falling. ND and the Wildcats also were the only squads to have multiple doubles teams in the quarterfinals: Connelly and fellow senior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) plus sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.). The Thompsons – who were ranked #2 nationally at the time – did not compete in doubles in the tournament.
IRISH ADD MARCH 31 HOME MATCH WITH EASTERN MICHIGAN: Notre Dame has added another match to its spring slate, as the Irish will play host to Eastern Michigan on Friday, March 31 at 2:30 p.m. (EST). Notre Dame’s originally-scheduled match at Tulane on April 15 has been cancelled, since the Green Wave program was suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. That changed freed up a date for the Irish to schedule another match.
IRISH A PERENNIAL TOP-30 TEAM: Not only has Notre Dame finished in the top 30 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings in each of the last 13 seasons, but the Irish also have been a near-constant presence. Since the preseason rankings of the 1992-93 season, Notre Dame has been among the top 30 teams in the country in 210 of 212 (99.0%) sets of rankings. The first exception came in late March of 2003, when the transition to the computer rankings moved the Irish from 15th to 27th to 48th and then back to 27th (despite going 6-2 during that time). The second slip out of the top 30 came on April 5 of 2004-05, when ND fell three spots to 31st before moving back to up 26th the following week.
CAPTAIN CONNELLY, THE SEQUEL: Senior Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) will serve as Notre Dame’s sole captain during the 2005-06 season. She took over the mantle from her sister, Sarah Jane Connelly, who was Notre Dame’s sole senior in 2004-05. The Connellys are the first sisters to serve as captains of the Irish women’s tennis team, as well as just the fifth sister captain duo in Notre Dame athletics history, following Kathy and Susan Valdiserri (fencing), Julie and Tracy Melby (golf), Carol and Maggie Lally (basketball), and Jessica and Kristen Kinder (volleyball).
THOMPSONS FEATURED IN “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ON CAMPUS” A LIST: Junior All-America twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) were two of the 14 student-athletes featured on the “A List” of elite collegiate performers across all sports in the October 13 issue of Sports Illustrated On Campus. In the words of SI On Campus: “Think of the A List this way: the coolest, the hottest, the most of-the-moment, the cream of the crop. Here are 14 faces SIOC would usher to the front of just about any line, no questions asked.” The Thompsons were the only tennis players featured among the group, which also includes the likes of football Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart of USC and Vince Young of Texas, as well as Connecticut basketball standout Rudy Gay.
WOMEN’S TENNIS “GOLD GAME” SET FOR APRIL 5 vs. #4 NORTHWESTERN: Notre Dame’s matchup with #4 Northwestern on Wednesday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) has been designated as this season’s women’s tennis “Gold Game,” a distinction created by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council to encourage the entire Notre Dame community to attend particular contests. The match will feature the two teams that have been consistently the top squads in the Midwest Region over the past decade. Northwestern has won the last seven matches in the series – with three of those coming by 4-3 scores – after the Irish had won six straight prior to that. In the Wildcats’ last visit, NU won a third-set tiebreaker in the decisive match to win 4-3.
ND SIGNS TRIO OF TOP RECRUITS, INCLUDING NATION’S #1 PLAYER: Notre Dame women’s tennis head coach Jay Louderback announced that three stars of prep and junior tennis – Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, Calif./Troy H.S.), Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, Kan./Arkansas City H.S.), and Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, Kan./Bishop Miege H.S.) – signed national letters of intent in the early period and will join the Irish in the fall of 2006. At the time of announcement (Nov. 15, 2005), Rielley was #1 in the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) 18-and-under girls’ singles national rankings, while Ciobanu was 17th, and Krisik – a two-time Kansas state champion (2002 and `03) – was 76th. Ciobanu won the Southern California Sectional singles championship in 2005 and also reached the singles final of a USTA National Open last year. She was ranked as high as 15th nationally in singles in `05. Krisik is Louderback’s niece, and she is part of the first mother-daughter combination ever to play for the longtime Irish mentor. Louderback’s sister, Jan, was his first recruit when he began his head coaching career at Wichita State in 1980. Krisik will join both her uncle and her cousin, current sophomore Bailey Louderback (South Bend, Ind./Penn H.S.), in the Irish program. Rielley is the first Notre Dame signee ever to have been ranked #1 in the USTA girls’ 18s. A three-time prep state champ (Missouri in `03, Kansas in `04 and `05), she won the singles title in the 2004 USTA Winter National Championships, took third in the ’05 National Clay Courts, and also is ranked fourth nationally in doubles.
WE ARE FAMILY: Notre Dame women’s tennis has long featured members of the same family on its teams. For the fourth consecutive season, Notre Dame will have a set of sisters on its roster: junior twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.). They last year became the first set of Irish sisters — and first twins of either sex — to both become All-Americans. The previous three seasons had featured two pairs of sisters on each Irish roster, but that has changed with the graduation of Maggie Donohue in 2003 and Sarah Jane Connelly last spring. Another family connection was added last season, as head coach Jay Louderback’s daughter, Bailey Louderback (South Bend, Ind./Penn H.S.), joined the team. He became the 11th Notre Dame coach — just the second in a women’s sport (along with softball’s Brian Boulac) — to have coached his son or daughter with the Irish. Next year, Louderback’s niece, Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, Kan./Arkansas City H.S.) will join the Irish roster.
DAVID DiLUCIA NOW PERSONAL COACH FOR LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A five-time All-American during his four-year career at Notre Dame (1988-92), David DiLucia, left his job with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in December 2005 to become the personal coach of the world’s #1 player, Lindsay Davenport. DiLucia was ranked #1 in both singles and doubles during his collegiate career and then went on to play in the singles main draw in all four professional grand slams before retiring in 2002. During his pro career, DiLucia earned wins over players such as Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Mark Philippoussis, and David Wheaton.
ND #1 IN NACDA DIRECTORS’ CUP: Notre Dame is in first place in the most-recent set of standings in the 2005-06 United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Dirctors of Athletics (NACDA), which were released on Jan. 12 and included results from all fall sports. Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 412 points based on their third-place finish in men’s cross country (85 points), their seventh-place finish in women’s cross country (69 points), their quarterfinal appearance in women’s soccer (73), their third-round appearance in men’s soccer (64), their regional semifinal appearance in women’s volleyball (64) and their 11th-place finish in football based on the final USA Today poll (57). This marks the second straight year Notre Dame has ranked atop the final fall standings – and its 412 points are its highest-ever fall total. Penn State (308.5 points) ranks second, Stanford (282) is third, and Duke (280) and Wisconsin (277) round out the top five. Notre Dame finished 16th in 2004-05, its fifth consecutive top-20 placing, and has three times finished an all-time high of 11th (1993-94, `95-96, 2000-01). Duke posted its all-time best finish of fifth in 2004-05.
CHANGES TO THE ITA RANKINGS: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced some changes to its national rankings for the 2005-06 season: (1) It will use one set of points for wins and also a tighter set of points, with less gaps. This set of points will be the same set that has been used for the season’s first computer rankings in the past; (2) There will be bonus points awarded for road wins; (3) The rankings that are run at the time of NCAA Championship selections will be run twice and the second run of the rankings will be the published ranking; (4) There will be expanded, unpublished rankings (and values for opponents): 76-125 for team, 126-175 for singles, and 61-90 for doubles; (5) The first computer rankings (for team) will take place 2 weeks earlier on March 8; (6) The singles and doubles rankings from Fall results will go back to being a computer ranking; it had been done by committee vote the past three years.
KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME TENNIS: For the fastest results of Notre Dame tennis matches, call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #8. The hotline provides schedule and results information for varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the game recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame tennis match. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu, who also can provide any information about the Irish tennis program.