Feb. 15, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio), a junior on the women’s tennis team, jumped to No. 3 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, it was announced on Monday. Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) climbed up to 43rd in the rankings.
Frilling started the season ranked ninth in the ITA polls, but thanks to an 8-0 start on the dual season jumped six spots in the first poll since the preseason rankings. The Sidney, Ohio native has claimed all eight wins at the No. 1 singles position and has knocked off six nationally-ranked opponents, while at the same time only dropping one set during the winning streak.
The ranking marks the second highest singles ranking in program history, trailing only Michelle Dasso who climbed to second in the ’00-01 season, and is the personal best ranking of Frilling’s Irish career.
Mathews, who began the season as the 104th ranked singles player, climbed 61 spots up to 43rd in the most recent rankings after going 8-0 through the first month of the dual season at No. 2 singles. The junior, much like Frilling, has dropped only one set on the season while knocking off four nationally ranked foes over that span.
Along with the singles rankings, the junior duo also entered the doubles rankings for the first time on the season, claiming 57th. The pairing has posted a 5-3 record on the season at No. 1 doubles and currently enjoy a two-match winning streak while having won three of their last four matches overall.
Freshman Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) also enjoyed a minor bump in the rankings, moving up from 106th to 102nd in singles. Through eight dual matches she owns a 6-2 record, going 5-2 at No. 5 and 1-0 at No. 4.
The Irish, who moved to 17th in the team rankings, return to action at the Blue-Gray Invitational Feb. 25-27 in Montgomery, Ala.
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