April 22, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 24th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team is set to conclude its 2011 dual season with a Senior Day showdown against DePaul at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday at either the Eck Tennis Pavilion or, weather permitting, outdoors at the Courtney Tennis Center.
The Irish enter the matchup with a record of 12-9 on the season after most recently dispatching BIG EAST foe Marquette, 6-1, on April 17. After dropping the doubles point, the Irish went on to sweep all six singles matches to win a dual match for the first time all season after losing doubles.
For senior Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, Texas), it will mark her final regular season dual match of her Irish career. Over her four-year stint with the team, Rafael has amassed a career record of 65-41 while seeing time anywhere from No. 2 through No. 6 singles. This season, Rafael has put together a 9-9 dual season and has gone a perfect 4-0 since moving to the No. 4 position earlier in the year. In doubles, the senior carries a 50-34 career record, seeing action at all three doubles courts at some point during her four years.
Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio), Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) continue to represent the Irish in the ITA singles rankings. Frilling enters as the fourth ranked singles player with a record of 16-2 at the No. 1 court, while Mathews (15-5) sits at 61st and Kellner (17-3) ranks 106th. Kellner also currently owns a six-match unbeaten streak dating back to the showdown with Duke on March 17.
In doubles, the duo of Frilling and Mathews, on the heels of their 14th consecutive victory at the No. 1 position, continued to climb up the rankings to 11th in the nation. On the season, the pairing now carries a record of 17-3 and are 8-2 against nationally-ranked opponents.
The matchup with DePaul will mark the 17th time the two teams have met, with Notre Dame holding a perfect 16-0 record against the Blue Demons. The two squads met three times last season, with the Irish claiming a pair of 6-1 decisions in the regular season and a 4-0 victory in the BIG EAST Tournament.
DePaul enters this meeting with an overall record of 13-9, including a perfect 4-0 ledger against fellow BIG EAST teams. Most recently, the Blue Demons earned a pair of wins over conference foes Marquette (4-3) and Cincinnati (4-3) the weekend of April 15-17. No members of the team find themselves ranked in the singles or doubles polls.
Live scoring of the matchup can be tracked via und.com and be sure to check back shortly following the match for a complete recap of the day’s matches.
–ND–