March 31, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 19th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team is set to return to action this weekend when it plays host to 44th-ranked Long Beach State and 32nd-ranked Texas A&M at 4 p.m. (ET) and 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The Irish enter the weekend with a record of 9-8. Most recently, Notre Dame fell to Georgia Tech, 5-2, in Atlanta, Ga., to drop to 4-7 on the year against nationally-ranked opponents.
Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) remains the highest ranked Irish player, entering with a record of 13-1 at No. 1 singles and a ranking of third in singles. Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) also remain in the rankings, coming in at 63rd and 105th, respectively. Frilling and Mathews also stack up as the 22nd ranked doubles duo.
Long Beach State enters this weekend’s match with a record of 11-4 after most recently dropping a 4-3 decision to 38th-ranked Pepperdine. The squad has no individuals ranked in either of the singles or doubles polls.
The Irish have met up with Long Beach State on three previous occasions, holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. Most recently the two teams squared off in 2005 with the Irish claiming a 5-2 victory. The lone loss came back in 1981 when Long Beach State secured a 9-0 decision.
Texas A&M carries with it a record of 9-4 heading into Saturday’s matchup. Most recently, the Aggies downed Kansas 6-1 in a road matchup in Lawrence, Kan. Nazari Urbina leads the way in singles for the Aggies, owning a mark of 9-4 at No. 1 singles and a national ranking of 34th.
The Irish and Aggies have met eight times with Notre Dame holding a 7-1 advantage in the series. Most recently, the Irish captured a 4-3 victory over the Aggies in 2010 in College Station, Texas, and have now won seven straight contests dating back to 1992.
A live blog of the matches will be available via und.com and be sure to check back after the conclusion of the matches for complete recaps of the day’s match.