March 8, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The third-ranked Irish women’s tennis team will take its eight-match win streak to the Villas at Palmas in Humacao, Puerto Rico for two matches this week.
Notre Dame will take on No. 59 William and Mary Tuesday, before battling No. 8 Duke Friday.
The Irish are 11-1 on the season and riding an eight-match win streak after rolling No. 30 Indiana, 7-0, Friday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Sophomore Kristy Frilling, the nation’s 14th-ranked singles player, is 11-1 this season, including eight wins over ranked players. No. 90 freshman Chrissie McGaffigan is 9-3 at No. 3 singles, while No. 92 sophomore Shannon Mathews holds an 8-4 mark at second singles. Senior Cosmina Ciobanu is 10-2 at fourth and fifth singles for the Irish.
No. 59 William and Mary brings a 5-7 record to Tuesday’s contest after dropping its last match to No. 45 Princeton, 5-2, on Friday. The Tribe has lost four of their last five matches, all of which came at the hands of ranked opponents. Ragini Acharya leads the Tribe with a 5-7 mark at No. 1 singles.
Notre Dame is 8-5 all-time against William and Mary and has won the last two matches. The two teams last met in 2008 with the Irish taking a 4-3 win at home.
The Irish will square off with defending national champion Duke on Friday. The Blue Devils are 10-2 this season with their only losses to North Carolina and Florida, both top-10 opponents. Duke opened its season with seven straight wins before falling to the Tar Heels in the semifinals of the National Team Indoor Championships.
The Blue Devils boast five ranked singles players with No. 45 Reka Zsilinszka leading the way at 7-4. Elizabeth Plotkin is 11-1 at No. 64, while No. 69 Ellah Nze and #102 Amanda Granson are both 9-2 on the season. At 7-3, Monica Gorny is ranked 125th.
Duke holds a 13-3 advantage in the series with Notre Dame, but the Irish won last year’s match, 5-2, in Orlando, Fla. Notre Dame lost 12 straight matches to the Blue Devils, before snapping the streak with a 4-3 win in 2006. The Irish have won three of the four matches since then.
Complete results will be available at www.UND.com following each match.
–ND–