Dec. 19, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A total of nine Notre Dame men and women’s tennis players and four doubles teams have been ranked in the Midwest Region, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced recently.
The Irish women had six players ranked in the top 20 for the second consecutive season. Notre Dame was the only school in the region to not only have six players ranked in the top 20, but also the only school to have five players in the top 10. In fact, Northwestern is the only other school to have multiple players in the top 10 and the Wildcats have only three.
Sophomore #45 Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, CA/Troy) was the highest rated player closing the fall season at No. 5. Ciobanu went 11-4 in the fall, captured the Wolverine Classic and reached the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championship. She now stands 47-9 for her career. Senior #91 Brook Buck (Yukon, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) is ranked No. 6 after posting a 4-4 mark in the fall. She was the lone Irish player to participate in the ITA All-American Championships and now stands 68-31 for her career.
After her ITA Midwest Regional Championship quarterfinal appearance, junior Katie Potts (Brookfield, WI/Divine Savior Holy Angels) was ranked No. 8. Potts, who suffered through an injury-plagued year in 2006-07, went 7-1 in the fall and now stands 52-15 for her career.
A pair of Irish sophomores close out the top 10. #110 Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, KS/Bishop Miege), winner of the 2006 ITA Midwest Regional Championship, garnered the No. 9 ranking and Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, KS/Arkansas City) was listed No. 10. Rielley went 6-3 in the fall (36-14 in her career), while Krisik went 9-2 (25-7 in her career) and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 ITA Midwest Regional Championship.
Junior #125 Kelcy Tefft (Enid, OK/Chisholm) closed out the Notre Dame contingent. She was rated No. 20 for the second straight season. Tefft posted a 4-3 mark in the fall, improving her career record to 58-17.
The three Notre Dame teams of Buck and Tefft, Krisik and Rielley and Ciobanu and Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, TX/Nolan Catholic) were all ranked in the top 15 of doubles. Buck and Tefft, champions of the ITA Midwest Regional and ITA National Indoor, were ranked in the top spot, while Krisik and Rielley were at No. 4. Ciobanu and Rafael were ranked No. 14.
The Irish men were also littered throughout the top 30 in singles. Junior Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) was the top-ranked Irish player at No. 6 after a breakthrough fall season. Helgeson went 13-1, 4-1 against nationally ranked opponents, reached the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championship and upended the nation’s second ranked player along the way. He improved his career record to 67-19.
Senior Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, NE/Millard North) is the other Irish player ranked inside the top 10. He is listed at No. 8. He went 8-5 this fall, including a 2-3 mark against ranked opponents. Parbhu captured seven of his last 10 matches and improved to 102-32 for his career. He is the ninth Irish men’s tennis player to ever surpass 100 career victories. Parbhu currently ranks seventh all-time in victories at Notre Dame.
Freshman David Anderson (Sandwich, MA/Sandwich) was the third and final Notre Dame men’s player ranked. He stands at No. 27 after recording a 9-4 mark in the fall.
Parbhu and fellow senior Andrew Roth (Houston, TX/Tenney School) were the lone Irish doubles team ranked. They finished the fall with a 3-2 mark and were listed No. 11.
Each Notre Dame team will open their respective spring seasons in the middle of January. The Irish women travel to Louisville for a match with the Cardinals on Jan. 20 at noon (EST). The men open the same day at the Eck Tennis Pavilion against Penn State. Former Irish assistant Todd Doebler coaches the Nittany Lions. First-serve is scheduled for noon (EST).
MEN
Singles1. Ryan Rowe Illinois2. Bryan Koniecko Ohio State3. Justin Kronauge Ohio State4. Matko Maravic Michigan5. Steven Moneke Ohio State6. Brett Helgeson Notre Dame7. Raoul Schwark Minnesota8. Sheeva Parbhu Notre Dame9. Thomas Richter Indiana10. Nick Rinks Michigan State27. David Anderson Notre Dame
Doubles Rank1. Drew Eberly Justin Kronauge Ohio State2. Ryan Rowe Billy Heiser Illinois3. Mike Sroczynski Jason Jung Michigan4. Adam Monich Nick Rinks Michigan State5. Bryan Koniecko Steven Moneke Ohio State6. Nolan Polley Moritz Baumann Wisconsin7. Jeremy Sonkin Luke Rassow-Kantor Wisconsin8. J.P. Ritchie Bart van Monsjou Iowa9. Bryan Norville Alex Birchmeier Western Michigan10. Mike O'Connell Matt Allare Ohio State11. Sheeva Parbhu Andrew Roth Notre Dame
WOMEN
Singles1. Maria Mosolova Northwestern2. Georgia Rose Northwestern3. Samantha Murray Northwestern4. Jennifer Migan Indiana State5. Cosmina Ciobanu Notre Dame6. Brook Buck Notre Dame7. Lauren Lui Northwestern8. Katie Potts Notre Dame9. Colleen Reilly Notre Dame10. Kali Krisik Notre Dame20. Kelcy Tefft Notre Dame
Doubles Rank1. Brook Buck Kelcy Tefft Notre Dame2. Lauren Lui Georgia Rose Northwestern3. Angela Dispastina Christina Keesey Ohio State4. Kali Krisik Colleen Reilly Notre Dame5. Alexis Conill Maria Mosolova Northwestern6. Erin Clark Maria Guerrerio Indiana7. Chisako Sugiyama Whitney Taney Michigan8. Samantha Murray Suzie Matzenauer Northwestern9. Kerstin Pahl Noriko Surata Western Michigan10. Nazlie Ghazal Keri Robison Northwestern11. Alexis Dorr Jacqueline Lee Iowa12. Gergana Ganeva Dunja Antunovic DePaul13. Megan Fudge Leigh Finnegan Illinois14. Cosmina Ciobanu Kristen Rafeal Notre Dame Alessandra Ferrazi Karina Chiarelli Minnesota
— ND —