April 5, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 23rd-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team will return home this weekend for its final two home matches of the season. The Irish will play host to regional rival Northwestern, ranked 19th nationally, as well as conference-foe and No. 27 Miami. Notre Dame and Northwestern were the two highest-ranked teams in the midwest region a season ago, while the Irish and Hurricanes have met in the final of the BIG EAST Championship in each of the past six seasons. The matches will take place in the Courtney Tennis Center unless inclement weather forces a move into the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Sunday’s match is the first-ever “Ace for the Cure,” an event designed to increase awareness of the deadly threat of colon cancer (see page 4 for details).
LAST WEEK’S ACTION: The Irish dropped three matches to top-10 teams in an Easter weekend trip to North Carolina, falling to No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 4 Duke and seventh-ranked North Carolina.
On Saturday, Notre Dame fell just short of upsetting the Demon Deacons, losing 4-3. The win would have marked the highest-ranked opponent defeated by the Irish in the program’s history. Wake Forest won the doubles point with an 8-6 win at No. 2 and then gained wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 5 singles to improve to 16-2. For the Irish, senior Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.), sophomore Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo.) and freshman Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each registered straight-set victories to tie the match at 3-3, but Karin Coetzee defeated Katie Cunha (Mercer Island, Wash.) at No. 5 to secure the win.
Duke defeated the Irish on Monday by a 6-1 score. The Irish dropped another close doubles point (a 9-7 decision at No. 3 being the difference) and could muster only one singles victory, though three matches were decided in three sets. Salas, just two days after upsetting Wake’s #81 Katie Martzolf, knocked off 64th-ranked Saras Arasu, marking the highest-ranked opponent the Irish sophomore has topped in her career.
Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to North Carolina was similar to the Duke match with the Tar Heels taking a 1-0 lead on the strength of a tiebreaker victory at No. 1 doubles and then winning five singles matches. Again Salas was the lone Irish victor in singles, but seniors Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Nina Vaughan (Corona del Mar, Calif.) teamed to upset Kendall Cline and Aniela Mojzis, the No. 26 team in the nation, at No. 2 doubles.
IRISH vs. WILDCATS: Northwestern enters the match with a 12-5 record, including a 5-0 mark in Big-Ten action. The Wildcats were ranked ninth nationally in the preseason, but currently stand at a season-low 19th. Northwestern faced some highly-ranked teams at the beginning of the season and stood at 5-4 on Feb. 17 before a six-match winning streak. The ‘Cats have won seven of their last eight matches, losing only to Pepperdine. Four of Northwestern’s losses have come to teams currently ranked in the national top 15 (#14 William & Mary, #6 Vanderbilt, #8 North Carolina & #5 Duke). The biggest win of the season for the Wildcats was a 4-3 triumph over then-No. 7 USC in the National Team Indoor Championships just one day after the Trojans fell 5-2 to the Irish. Northwestern and Notre Dame have faced nine common opponents this season with the Wildcats compiling a 6-3 mark (losses to Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Duke) and the Irish recording a 4-6 mark (losing to Indiana, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Duke and North Carolina twice).
Two singles players and a pair of doubles teams are ranked for Northwestern. Marine Piriou was ranked ninth in the fall rankings and is now 25th. She defeated teammate Lia Jackson to win the singles title at last fall’s Omni Hotels Region IV Championships and then advanced to the semifinals of the Omni Hotels National Indoor Championships in a performance highlighted by a straight-set victory over USC’s Jewel Peterson, currently ranked fifth in the nation. Irish senior Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also dealt Peterson a straight-set loss in the fall. Piriou is 22-10 overall this season, including a 10-7 mark this spring at No. 1 singles. Jessica Rush is 67th after being ranked as high as No. 63 this season. She is 24-9 overall and 14-3 in dual matches, playing mostly at No. 3. Rush qualified for both the National Indoors and the ITA All-American Championships last fall.
Doubles has been a strength for Northwestern this season, as they have won the match’s initial point 14 times in 17 matches in 2002, dropping the doubles point only to William & Mary, Vanderbilt and Fresno State. Lia Jackson and Simona Petrutiu have been ranked as high as 18th this season and will enter the match with Notre Dame at No. 22. They are 13-3 overall, including a 12-2 mark this spring, and have won nine straight matches. Piriou and Rush, who are also 12-2 in dual matches, are ranked 35th nationally.
A number of Notre Dame and Northwestern players battled in fall action with Wildcats eliminating four Irish competitors in singles at the Omni Hotels Region IV Championship. In the first round, Rush defeated Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) in three sets, while Piriou downed Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.) and Andrea Yung upset top-seeded Varnum in the same round. Jackson then eliminated Katie Cunha (Mercer Island, Wash.) in the round of 16. Varnum bounced back with a win over Ruth Barnes in consolation play, while Connelly and Cunha downed Jackson and Piriou in the second round of doubles play. Nina Vaughan (Corona del Mar, Calif.) also notched a three-set victory over Connie Chiang in the adidas Invitational.
In 2001, Northwestern was 24-5 overall and finished undefeated in Big-Ten play on its way to a third consecutive conference tournament title. The Wildcats were ranked as high as eighth nationally before finishing the year at No. 9. Northwestern served as a host in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament and advanced to the round of 16 before falling to USC. The Wildcats finished the season ranked No. 1 in the midwest region, one spot ahead of Notre Dame.
The Irish and Wildcats will meet for the 23rd time and for the 15th consecutive season. Northwestern, which took each of the first 11 meetings between the schools, holds a 14-8 advantage in the series. The teams met for the first time in Notre Dame’s initial season of varsity women’s tennis, 1976, when the Wildcats dealt the Irish their first-ever defeat (7-2), after a 3-0 start. Since the initial Irish win in 1992, Notre Dame has won eight of 11 matches. Overall, Irish head coach Jay Louderback is 8-5 against the Wildcats and had won six straight against the regional rival until Northwestern’s 4-3 home victory a season ago.
In that match, Northwestern rallied from a 3-1 disadvantage to snap Notre Dame’s 36-match regular-season winning streak over Midwest region opponents. The Irish won the doubles point (in a tiebreaker) and the top two singles matches, but Northwestern took the bottom four singles contests, with three decided in three sets. Piriou and Rush each lost the first set at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively, before rallying for wins. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5 in the nation just prior to the match, its highest ranking in school history.
IRISH vs. HURRICANES: Miami is 11-5 and ranked 27th in the nation. Sunday will mark the final match of the regular season for the ‘Canes. Miami was ranked 37th in the preseason and has been as high as No. 25 this spring. Their losses have come to Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary, Texas Christian, Texas A&M, and Michigan. The Hurricanes started the season by winning each of their first six matches. They also had scheduled tilts against Harvard and Florida cancelled due to inclement weather. Notre Dame and Miami have faced one common opponent this season — Michigan. The Irish defeated the Wolverines 5-2 earlier this season, while Miami dropped a 4-3 road decision to Michigan on Friday.
A pair of Hurricanes are ranked in singles. Mari Toro has been as high as No. 53 and is currently ranked 66th. She is 20-9 this season, including a 9-4 mark at No. 1 singles. Marcy Hora, who is 10-9 playing mostly at No. 2, stands at No. 109 in singles. Hora and Toro have been ranked as high as 52nd in doubles, but are currently unranked.
Miami and Notre Dame faced off in a “hidden” dual match in last fall’s season-opening Bulldog Invitational. The Hurricanes swept four doubles matches and won five of eight singles matches, though the teams split in the top six slots. All the singles matches were decided in straight sets, with Toro defeating Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Hora downing Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.), Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo.) topping Sihem Bennacer, Staci Stevens beating Katie Cunha (Mercer Island, Wash.), Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) triumphing over Jessica Pelto and Emily Neighbours (Indianapolis, Ind.) winning against Sara Robbins. In doubles, Toro/Hora beat Green/Varnum, Stevens/Bennacer defeated Connelly/Cunha and Neighbours/Salas fell to Pelto/Robbins.
In 2001, Miami was 15-9 and finished second in the BIG EAST, losing 4-1 to Notre Dame in the final. The Hurricanes were ranked as high as 28th before finishing the season listed at No. 37. Miami advanced to the NCAA tournament and lost in the first round to Arkansas.
The Irish and Hurricanes will meet for the 10th time, with all the matchups occurring since 1994. Notre Dame leads the series 7-2 and is 3-0 in regular-season matchups, including wins in the only two Hurricane visits to Notre Dame. The teams have met in the final of the BIG EAST Championship in all six seasons since the Irish joined the conference. Notre Dame captured titles in 1996, ’97, ’99, and 2001, while Miami was victorious in 1998 and 2000. Miami is the only BIG EAST school who has ever defeated Notre Dame. The Irish are 20-0 against other members of the conference.
Last season, Notre Dame topped Miami once in the regular season and once in the BIG EAST final. The teams met on March 1 in Coral Gables, Fla. and the Irish notched a 6-1 victory. Notre Dame swept the doubles matches and gained five straight-set wins in singles. Bennacer pulled out a three-set decision against Kimberly Guy at No. 5 for Miami’s only point. In the conference final, Notre Dame fought off the Hurricanes for a 4-1 victory. The Irish won the doubles point and then gained wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 6 to claim their fourth BIG EAST crown. Hora provided Miami’s win, downing Caylan Leslie (Newport Beach, Calif.) at No. 4.
AMONG THE NATION’S ELITE: Notre Dame has appeared in the Top 25 of the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings throughout the 2002 spring season, topping out at No. 13 on Jan. 30. The Irish held that spot for two weeks before losses to No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 16 North Carolina at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships halted their rise. The first eight polls of the year were conducted via balloting from the ITA National Ranking Committee. Beginning March 20 and for the remainder of the season, the rankings are based on the ITA’s point-per-match computer formula, in which teams are awarded points for victories based upon their opponent’s ranking.
Notre Dame has now been ranked in the national top 25 in 112 consecutive sets of rankings released by the ITA. After finishing the previous season 28th, the Irish earned a preseason ranking of 18th in the fall of 1995 and have been in the top 25 since then, peaking at a school-record No. 5 midway through last season.
In addition to its team placing, Notre Dame has two singles players and a doubles team in the national rankings. In singles, senior Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is slotted at No. 86, while senior Nina Vaughan (Corona del Mar, Calif.) is ranked 121st.
In doubles competition, Varnum and classmate Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.) remain firmly entrenched in the rankings, checking in at No. 33 in the latest survey, despite not playing together in any of the last three matches. The Irish tandem is 17-13 this year and has been a fixture on the national scene, having been ranked 23rd in the fall and remaining in the top 35 since then. In fact, Varnum has been ranked in the national top 35 in doubles in each of the past 25 sets of rankings, dating back to the fall 1999 survey.
VARNUM DOUBLES DOMINANCE: Senior Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has put together one of the most successful doubles careers in the history of Irish women’s tennis. She has a record of 102-48, placing her as the second-winningest doubles player in school history behind her two-year doubles partner and 2001 graduate Michelle Dasso, who finished her career with a record of 109-42. Dasso and Varnum, who were ranked in the top 10 all year and peaked at No. 5, earned All-America honors a season ago to become just the fourth Irish doubles team to do so since the program attained Division I status. In 2001, Varnum shattered the school record for doubles wins in a season, compiling a 37-9 mark. The Irish captain has been a fixture in the national doubles rankings throughout the past three seasons, having been ranked in the national doubles top 35 in each of the past 25 sets of rankings. She has been responsible for a number of big wins, registering 24 victories over ranked opponents in her career. Varnum and Dasso knocked off teams ranked in the top 10 on four occasions, including an upset of the nation’s No. 1 doubles team of Palencia and Senoglu from Pepperdine last spring. Varnum is 20-16 this season in doubles.
CENTURY CITY: Prior to last season, Susie Panther (’86) was the only player in school history to collect 100 doubles victories. The list has now expanded to four. Michelle Dasso, a 2001 graduate, finished her career with 109 doubles wins, topping Panther’s total of 101. Two members of the class of 2002 have reached the century mark recently: Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.). Varnum/Green’s win against Illinois on March 27 put the Irish captain into triple digits, while Green’s 100th win came against Duke on April 1.
SENSATIONAL SALAS: After not being a regular part of the Irish lineup a season ago, sophomore Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo.) has been the most consistent winner for Notre Dame in 2002. She leads the team in both singles and doubles victories and has posted a 19-2 mark in dual singles matches, as well as a 14-7 dual doubles record. In fact, Salas is a stunning 42-9 in her career in singles matches. This season, she is 26-5 in singles and has won 22 of her last 24 matches. She is 3-0 this spring against ranked opponents, including back-to-back wins last weekend over #81 Katie Martzolf of Wake Forest and 64th-ranked Saras Arasu of Duke, the highest-ranked opponent she has defeated in her career. Salas also knocked off then-77th-ranked Agnes Wiski of Tennessee earlier this year. In doubles, she and senior Nina Vaughan (Corona del Mar, Calif.) notched an upset victory over Kentucky’s 27th-ranked team of Jill Buckley and Amy Trefethen 8-4 earlier this spring. Salas has been particularly dominant at home this season. She is 14-1 in singles and 12-2 in doubles in the Eck Tennis Pavilion this year.
IRISH FACE TOUGH SLATE: The Irish are facing a difficult schedule in 2002 and are in the midst of a very challenging seven-match stretch to finish the regular season. Thus far this season, the Irish have faced nine teams currently ranked in the top 25, six in the top 10 and have had three matches against teams who were ranked in the national top five at the time of the match. Overall, 21 of the 25 teams on Notre Dame’s schedule are ranked and 16 are ranked in the top 40. Fifteen 2002 opponents participated in the NCAA tournament a year ago, including six squads that advanced to the round of 16. Notre Dame’s season-ending stretch consists of seven teams currently ranked in the top 30, including five in the top 15. After losing to #3 Wake Forest, #5 Duke and #8 North Carolina, the Irish will face #19 Northwestern and #27 Miami this weekend and will then take on 14th-ranked William & Mary on April 13 and #12 Texas on April 15.
DOUBLES SHAKEUP: After claiming the doubles point in eight of the first 13 matches of the season, the Irish have struggled in that facet of late. Notre Dame has won the initial point of the match just twice in its last eight matches, though a number of those were hotly contested. In those six doubles-point defeats, four times the deciding match came down to an 8-6 score, once it was 9-7 and once a tiebreaker decided the point.
Irish head coach Jay Louderback has juggled the doubles lineup twice this season. He opened the year with the teams of Green/Varnum, Connelly/Cunha and Salas/Vaughan, which won the doubles point in each of the first three matches, but then lost it in four of the next five, prompting a change immediately after the National Team Indoor Championships. The Irish lineup then consisted primarily of Green/Varnum, Cunha/Vaughan and Connelly/Salas. These combinations won the doubles point in four of the next five matches, but then lost it in three of the following five, prompting another switch. Last weekend, the new teams of Cunha/Green, Varnum/Vaughan and Connelly/Salas were unveiled, but Notre Dame still dropped the doubles point in all three matches.
KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME TENNIS: For the fastest results of Notre Dame tennis matches, call the Notre Dame sports information hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose option No. 8. The hotline provides schedule and results information for varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame tennis match. In addition, media members may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu, or Chris Masters at masters.5@nd.edu.