Feb. 21, 2008
Durham, NC – The Notre Dame women’s tennis team burst out of the gate Thursday at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center by sweeping all three doubles matches. They could not sustain the momentum in singles play, however, and suffered a 4-3 defeat at the hands of #8 Duke.
Kelcy Tefft continued her impressive play by defeating the highest ranked player in her career, knocking off Blue Devil freshman Ellah Nze, who entered the match ranked 16th in the country. Tefft battled back from a set down to earn the win in the longest singles contest of the afternoon. The loss was Nze’s first of the dual season in four matches and just her fourth defeat overall. The Irish junior, meanwhile, ran her record to 10-1 on the dual season and 14-4 overall. The victory was Teftt’s third in four matches since moving into the number one singles position. Tefft also teamed up with senior Brook Buck to earn an 8-6 doubles win over Nze and Reka Zsilinszka.
Kali Krisik was the only other Irish player to win both of her matches Thursday afternoon. The Notre Dame sophomore teamed up with freshman Kristen Rafael to earn the 8-6 doubles win over Duke’s Melissa Mang and Tory Zawacki. The pair ran their record to 3-2 on the year. Krisik’s singles win came at the hands of Amanda Granson in straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). She now has the most singles wins on the team with 19 against three losses. She also holds a 10-1 dual mark in singles play.
After the Irish took the 1-0 lead by virtue of the doubles sweep, the Blue Devils seized control of the match with two early, convincing singles wins. Thirty-eighth-ranked Elizabeth Plotkin bested Cosmina Ciobanu by a 6-3, 6-1 score. The loss was Ciobanu’s first this season since being moved to the number three singles position last weekend. It also snapped a personal three-match winning streak. The sophomore’s record stands at 15-11 on the year. Ciobanu did earn a doubles win with Colleen Rielley earlier in the day to keep their doubles record this spring perfect at 6-0.
Junior Katie Potts suffered the same fate as Ciobanu, falling in straight sets by an identical 6-3, 6-1 score. The loss also snapped Potts’ personal three-match winning streak and dropped her season mark to 12-7.
Krisik’s win tied the match at two points apiece, but the next two matches would go the way of the home team.
Tara Iyer won a hard-fought match over Brook Buck at No. 2 singles by a 6-3, 6-4 margin. Buck fell to 4-7 on the dual season.
Down 3-2, the Irish needed Rielley and Tefft to capture their matches to earn the upset win. Rielley fought valiantly in a tough matchup at number four singles against the 13th ranked player in the nation, Reka Zsilinszka. The Notre Dame sophomore rallied to win the second set after dropping the first, but could not pull out the three-set battle, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Rieilly is 11-8 on the season. The win clinched the match for Duke who improved their record to 4-0 this spring.
The Irish will have a short turnaround after the match against the Blue Devils as they make the short trip to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest Friday afternoon at 3:00. The Irish defeated the Demon Deacons 7-0 last season at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
No. 8 Duke 4, No. 15 Notre Dame 3
February 21, 2008
Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center – Durham, N.C.
Singles
1. #59 Kelcy Tefft (ND) def. #16 Ellah Nze (D) 5-7, 8-6, 10-7
2. Tara Iyer (D) def. Brook Buck (ND) 6-3, 6-4
3. #38 Elizabeth Plotkin (D) def. Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) 6-3, 6-1
4. #13 Reka Zsilinszka (D) def. Colleen Rielley (ND) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
5. Melissa Mang (D) def. Katie Potts (ND) 6-3, 6-1
6. Kali Krisik (ND) def. Amanda Granson (D) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
Order of finish: 5,3,6,2,4*,1
Doubles??
1. #3 K. Tefft/B. Buck (ND) def. E. Nze/R. Zsilinszka (D) 8-6
2. K. Krisik/Kristen Rafael (ND) def. M. Mang/Tory Zawacki (D) 8-6
3. C. Ciobanu/C. Reilley (ND) def. A. Granson/Jessi Robinson (D) 8-5
Order of finish: 3,2*,1