Oct. 5, 2011
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – University of Notre Dame women’s tennis player Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) saw her Riviera/ITA All-American Championship qualifying draw come to an end Wednesday at the Riviera Tennis Club, as she was defeated by South Carolina’s Diana Stojic in the round of 32.
For the second straight day, the Irish senior was taken to three sets. However, this time she was playing catch up after dropping the opening set, 7-6 (7-3). Mathews rebounded well in the second set to level the match, capturing the set 6-3 to force the decisive third stanza. The final set would go back and forth and eventually end up in the second tiebreaker of the match, with Stojic pulling through for a 7-6 (7-2) victory.
With her singles play now concluded, Mathews turns her attention to the main draw of doubles at the tournament with teammate and fellow senior Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio). The duo enters as the fourth overall seed in the 32-team bracket, and while the draw begins play with two rounds on Thursday, the Irish tandem only plays one contest as they earned a bye into the round of 16.
Frilling, however, will take to the court for a second match tomorrow as she begins her run in the main singles draw. Entering as the field’s No. 3 overall seed, Frilling squares off against Sona Novakova of Baylor in the round of 32. The two have met one time in the past, as they squared off at No. 1 singles in a dual match on March 6 this past season. Frilling prevailed over then 11th-ranked Novakova in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, to improve her record at that time to 20-2.
Be sure to check back with UND.com for continuing updates of Frilling and Mathews from the 2011 Riviera/ITA All-American Championship.
Riviera/ITA All-American Championship
Qualifying Singles Draw - Round of 32 Results:#68 Diana Stojic (USC) def. #38 Shannon Mathews (ND) 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (2)
Main Singles Draw - Round of 32 Matchup:#3 Kristy Frilling (ND) vs. #13 Sona Novakova (BU)
Main Doubles Draw - Round of 16 Matchup:#5 Kristy Frilling / Shannon Mathews (ND) vs. Winner of Qualifier #1/Qualifier #2 Matchup
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