April 12, 2004
AUSTIN, Texas – The 23rd-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team (10-8) lost 5-2 at #14 Texas (16-4) Monday at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center. The Longhorns won the doubles point and four of six singles matches for the victory, though the Irish got a pair of three-set victories from the Thompson twins. Notre Dame returns home this week for its final home match of the season, a showdown with #9 Northwestern on Thursday at 4 p.m. (EST).
Half of the singles matches were decided in three sets, and the Irish won a pair of them after the Longhorns held a 5-0 advantage. Freshman Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) defeated Katie Ruckert 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 at No. 2 to improve to 22-12 this season. She has won four straight contests.
In the final match on court, rookie Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) beat Mia Marovic of Croatia 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 at No. 3. She is 18-11 this season.
Notre Dame’s other triumph came at No. 2 doubles, where senior co-captain Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) and sophomore Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) beat Marovic and another Croatian, Petra Dizdar, 9-7. The Irish pair is 19-7 this season, including 13-5 in dual matches at No. 2. Salas and Connelly have won six of their last seven matches.
Texas gained 8-3 victories at the other two positions to win the doubles point. At the top spot, Ruckert and Kendra Strohm beat the Thompsons, the 57th-ranked team in the country, while Kelly Baritot and Ristine Olson defeated junior Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and sophomore Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) at No. 3.
Olson was first off in singles, topping Sarah Jane Connelly 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6. Strohm then beat Lauren Connelly 6-4, 6-3 to put Texas within a point of victory.
Dizdar, ranked 18th, provided the clincher by upsetting 11th-ranked Salas 7-6, 6-4 at No. 1. Baritot then downed Stastny 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 at No. 5 to put the Longhorns up 5-0.
#14 Texas 5, #23 Notre Dame 2
Singles
No. 1 *#18 Petra Dizdar (T) d. #11 Alicia Salas (ND) 7-6, 6-4
No. 2 Christian Thompson (ND) d. Katie Ruckert (T) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
No. 3 Catrina Thompson (ND) d. Mia Marovic (T) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 Kendra Strohm (T) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 Kelly Baritot (T) d. Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
No. 6 Ristine Olson (T) d. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 4, 1*, 5, 2, 3
Doubles
No. 1 Ruckert/Strohm (T) d. #57 Thompson/Thompson (ND) 8-3
No. 2 L. Connelly/Salas (ND) d. Dizdar/Marovic (T) 9-7
No. 3 Baritot/Olson (T) d. S.J. Connelly/Emily Neighbours (ND) 8-3