April 2, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The third-ranked Irish women’s tennis team will hit the road one last time during the regular season for a series of four regional matchups beginning Friday.
The 17-3 Irish will travel to No. 39 DePaul Friday for their second BIG EAST contest of the season. The match is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 PM (CDT).
DePaul is 16-3 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play this season. Combined, the Blue Demons have lost just 15 singles matches in 2009. The Irish are 10-0 in the series with DePaul.
On Saturday, Notre Dame will make the short trip to Evanston, Ill., to take on top-ranked Northwestern in a noon matchup.
The Wildcats are 15-1 this season and 6-1 on their home courts. Northwestern handed the Irish their first loss of the season on Feb. 15, when they met in a semifinal match at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The Wildcats topped Notre Dame, 4-1, and went on to win the ITA title.
Northwestern currently has three singles players ranked in the top 50. Maria Mosolova leads the way at No. 2, followed by Georgia Rose at No. 20 and Samantha Murray at No. 46. Rose teams up with Lauren Lui to form the 14th-ranked doubles duo, while Mosolova and Keri Robison are the No. 28 team.
The Irish will stay in Chicago to take on BIG EAST foe Marquette Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (CDT). The Golden Eagles are 15-6 overall and 5-0 in BIG EAST play. They are currently riding a three-match win streak, which includes an upset of No. 56 Western Michigan and shut out victories over St. John’s and Wright State. Notre Dame is 10-1 all-time against Marquette
The Irish will conclude their road swing Tuesday at Illinois in a 3:30 p.m. match.
The No. 40 Illini are 12-4 this season and 5-1 at home. The match pits Illinois head coach Michelle Dasso against her former team and coach. Dasso graduated from Notre Dame in 2001 as one of the top women’s tennis players in Irish history.
Complete results will be available following each match at www.und.com.
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