Jan. 17, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team opens its 2013 dual season Friday at 4 p.m. against Bowling Green inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Fighting Irish are 4-0 all-time in dual matches against the Falcons, with the last meeting between the two teams occurring during the 1988 season, an 8-1 Notre Dame victory.
Bowling Green closed the tournament portion of its season at the adidas/IU Winter Invitational Jan. 11-13 in Bloomington, Ind. The Falcons earned match sweeps of No. 52 Missouri (4-0) and Marquette (3-0) in doubles play.
Notre Dame, ranked No. 19 in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, will face 15 teams slotted in the initial top 75 of the ITA poll during the spring season. The Fighting Irish have not lost an opening dual match since Jan. 29, 2004, a 4-3 decision to then-No. 34 Michigan.
Junior Britney Sanders (Ontario, Calif.) was ranked 58th in the opening ITA singles poll, a career-high watermark in the rankings. Sanders posted a 9-2 singles mark during the fall slate, highlighted by an appearance in the final match of the United States Tennis Association/ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Urbana, Ill., Oct. 18-23.
Sanders and doubles partner Julie Sabacinski (Plantation, Fla.) open the spring season ranked 20th on the doubles side of the ITA rankings. The duo went 8-2 during the latter half of 2012, advancing to the championship match of the USTA/ITA Midwest Regionals.
Junior Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) and sophomore Molly O’Koniewski (Hilton Head, S.C.) enter the dual season as the 40th best team according to the ITA. Kellner and O’Koniewski logged a perfect 2-0 record in fall play.
Live results from Friday’s matches will be available at .
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