March 4, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 14th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team is set for a pair of matches this weekend, taking on 41st-ranked Indiana at 3:00 p.m. (ET) Friday at the Varsity Tennis Courts in Bloomington, Ind., before returning home for a showdown with seventh-ranked Baylor at Noon (ET) Sunday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Notre Dame enters the weekend’s matches with a record of 7-4 on the dual season after going 3-0 and winning the Blue Gray Classic Championships this past weekend. The team secured wins over #51 Utah (4-0), #23 Oklahoma (4-1) and #9 Virginia (4-0) at the tournament to claim the title.
Juniors Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) and Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) continue to pace the Irish at No. 1 and 2 singles, respectively, as each carry a 10-0 record on the dual season. Frilling enters ranked third in the nation, while Mathews continues to climb the ranks, now sitting at 32nd. The pairing also leads the Irish in doubles, holding a record of 8-3 on the dual season and ranking 26th in the doubles polls.
Indiana comes into Friday’s matchup with a record of 10-2 and a national ranking of 41st in the most recent polls. The Hoosiers are riding a three game winning streak, including holding on for a narrow 4-3 win over Kentucky in their last match. Leslie Hureau leads Indiana, ranking 61st in singles play.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series over the Hoosiers, 14-10. Indiana captured each of the first nine matchups between the two teams, but the Irish have won 14 of the last 15, including a string of eight in a row. Last season, Notre Dame blanked Indiana, 7-0.
Baylor ranks seventh in the nation and carries a 5-1 record on the season. In total, five members of the Bears’ roster ranks in the top 150 in the nation in singles, led by Sona Novakova who ranks 11th. Novakova, along with teammate Nina Secerbegovic, also enter as the 29th ranked doubles pairing.
The Irish and Baylor have split their first six matchups, with Baylor capturing the past two contests. Last season, the Bears took down Notre Dame 6-1 in Waco, Texas.
Live stats and a live blog will be provided for Sunday’s matchup with Baylor. Be sure to check back with und.com each day for a complete recap of the day’s matchup.
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