March 1, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 19th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team registered an impressive 6-1 win over No. 50 Wake Forest on Saturday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish (5-5) won the doubles point and five of six singles matches against a Demon Deacons squad that made the 2002 NCAA quarterfinals. Wake Forest is now 1-9 on the season. Notre Dame will be back in action Sunday facing No. 13 Texas at noon (EST) in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Sunday’s match will be the second annual Ace for the Cure to benefit and increase awareness of colon cancer as well as the team’s “Gold Game”.
The Irish came out strong winning all three doubles matches. Senior captain Katie Cunha (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island H.S.) and freshman Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) put the Irish ahead first with an 8-2 win at No. 1. Junior Caylan Leslie (Newport Beach, Calif./ Corona del Mar H.S.) and freshman Jennifer Smith (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg H.S.) clinched the doubles point for Notre Dame with an 8-5 win at No. 3. Junior Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) and freshman Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) followed suit with an 8-4 victory at No. 2.
Cunha put the Irish up 2-0 with a quick win at No. 3 over Wake Forest?s Danielle Smith 6-1, 6-1. Leslie then grabbed her fifth win over a ranked opponent this season by defeating No. 98 Karin Coetzee 6-2, 6-2 in No. 1 singles. Lauren Connelly had the clinching win for Notre Dame topping Elizabeth Proctor 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 6 spot. Wake Forest’s Katie Martzolf, ranked No. 65 in the nation avoided the shutout beating Salas 6-3, 6-2. The Irish were down after the first set in each of the final two matches, but came back to win. Sophomore Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) over Alexandra Knight at No. 5 winning 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 and Stastny beat Aimee Smith 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7) playing at No. 4.
#19 Notre Dame 6, #50 Wake Forest 1
Singles
No. 1: #44 Caylan Leslie (ND) d. #98 Karin Coetzee (WF) 6-2, 6-2
No. 2: #65 Katie Martzolf (WF) d. #73 Alicia Salas (ND) 6-3, 6-2
No. 3: Katie Cunha (ND) d. Danielle Schwartz (WF) 6-1, 6-1
No. 4: Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Aimee Smith (WF) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)
No. 5: Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Alexandra Knight (WF) 1-6, 6-2, 6-1
No. 6: *Lauren Connelly (ND) d. Elizabeth Proctor 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1, *6, 2, 5, 4
Doubles
No. 1: #31 Cunha/Stastny (ND) d. Coatzee/A. Smith (WF) 8-2
No. 2: L. Connelly/Salas (ND) d. Martzolf/Schwartz (WF) 8-4
No. 3: *Leslie/Jennifer Smith (ND) d. Knight/Proctor (WF) 8-5
Order of Finish: 1, *3, 2
Team Records: Notre Dame 5-5; Wake Forest 1-9
* denotes clinching match
— ND —