April 3, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After taking part in two straight conference tilts, the 18th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team returns to non-conference action this week as it faces off with 14th-ranked Northwestern Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. (ET) at the Courtney Tennis Center.
The Irish (14-5) enter the contest riding a current two-match winning streak that saw them post 7-0 shutouts against conference foes Marquette and DePaul. Over their last 10 contests, Notre Dame has put together an 8-2 ledger and has gone 5-1 in home contests during that span.
Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Kristy Frilling continue to be the lone Irish players ranked in singles, checking in at 54th and 95th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, respectively. In doubles, the senior duo remains the fifth-best tandem in the country with a record of 12-5 at the No. 1 court, while Britney Sanders (Ontario, Calif.) and Julie Sabacinski (Plantation, Fla.) remain 67th with a 9-2 record since becoming a team.
Northwestern (10-7) enters the match on a two-match winning streak of its own after taking down Big Ten opponents Minnesota (5-2) and Wisconsin (6-1). The Wildcats have played in eight true road matchups on the year, holding a mark of 5-3 in those contests.
Kate Turvy leads the charge for the Northwestern singles lineup, checking in at No. 21 in the ITA rankings. The junior has posted an 11-6 record on the dual year, all coming at the No. 1 court. Brittany Wowchuk also ranks 62nd in the singles rankings. Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton pace the doubles lineup, checking in at No. 16 in the country with a 4-5 record at the No. 1 court.
Notre Dame and Northwestern have met 37 times in program history, with the Wildcats leading the overall series 26-11. The rivalry, which has been continuous since 1988, saw Northwestern win both contests last season, including a 4-0 win in the second round of the NCAA Championship to eliminate the Irish from the tournament. Notre Dame last defeated the Wildcats in ’10 when the squad knocked off the then-No. 1 team in the country, 5-2, at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Live stats as well as a complete match recap will be provided via UND.com. For in-match updates be sure to follow @NDWomensTennis on Twitter.
–ND–