March 30, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team welcomes its second consecutive BIG EAST foe to town as it faces #64 DePaul Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (ET) at the Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish look to improve to 14-5 on the season and 3-0 in BIG EAST contests.
The Irish enter Saturday’s matchup having won their most recent contest 7-0 over BIG EAST rival Marquette. It marked the fifth time on the year that Notre Dame has posted a shutout victory over its opposition and was the ninth-straight match in which the team won the doubles point.
Seniors Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) continue to lead the way in the rankings, checking in at fifth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles poll. The duo lost their most recent match together, but carry an 11-5 overall dual record and seven wins against nationally-ranked opposition.
Sophomores Britney Sanders (Ontario, Calif.) and Julie Sabacinski (Plantation, Fla.) also will take to the court for the first time as a ranked team, checking in at 67th. The tandem has registered an 8-2 dual record at the No. 2 court since joining up midway through the season and is a perfect 2-0 against ranked opponents.
Mathews and Frilling represent the lone Irish players in the singles rankings, checking in at 54th and 95th, respectively.
DePaul brings a 10-5 record into Saturday’s showdown while riding a two-match losing streak. Most recently, the Blue Demons suffered a 7-0 setback to 14th-ranked Northwestern in Charleston, S.C.
Jasmin Kling and Gia McKnight are the lone Blue Demons in the rankings, placing 64th in the doubles poll. The pairing has won three consecutive matches and holds a record of 10-3 at the No. 1 court. In singles, Kling tops the lineup with a record of 8-4 at the No.1 position.
This will be the 19th matchup between Notre Dame and DePaul with the Irish holding a perfect 18-0 advantage in the series. Last season the two teams faced off at the Courtney Tennis Center with Notre Dame emerging victorious, 6-1.
In addition to the women’s match tomorrow, the Irish men’s team has bookend matches around the women’s contest as they face Ball State at 11:00 a.m. and St. Bonaventure at 6:00 p.m.
Live scoring of all three matches as well as a post-match recap will be provided via UND.com.
–ND–