March 19, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The fourth-ranked Irish women’s tennis team edged No. 17 Vanderbilt, 4-3, Friday at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center. With the win, Notre Dame improved to 13-2 on the season, while Vanderbilt fell to 7-5.
The Irish jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, Calif./Troy) and Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, Kan./Bishop Miege) topped Hannah Blatt and Rachael Dillon, 8-6, at No. 3 doubles, before the fourth-ranked duo of Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio/Lehman & Abeka) and Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, Kan./Arkansas City) improved to 11-0 on the season and clinched the point for Notre Dame with an 8-3 win over No. 27 Chelsea Preeg and Jackie Wu at first doubles.
Catherine Newman and Erica Robertson led Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich./Cranbrook-Kingswood) and Chrissie McGaffigan (Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf), 7-6, at No. 2 doubles when the point was clinched.
Robertson tied the match for the Commodores with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Rielley at No. 6 singles. No. 38 Newman knocked off No. 14 Frilling, 6-3, 6-2, at first singles to put Vanderbilt up 2-1. No. 99 McGaffigan tied the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Keilly Ulery at No. 3 singles.
Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, Texas/Nolan Catholic) defeated Blatt, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, at fifth singles, but No. Preeg edged No. 102 Mathews, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6, at No. 2 singles to tie the match at 3-3. Ciobanu won her ninth-straight match and clinched the win for the Irish with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Dillon at No. 4 singles.
Notre Dame will travel to Wichita, Kan., for matches against TCU and Wichita State March 27-28.
#4 Notre Dame 4, #17 Vanderbilt 3
Singles
1. #38 Catherine Newman (VU) def. #14 Kristy Frilling (ND) 6-3, 6-2
2. #76 Chelsea Preeg (VU) def. #108 Shannon Mathews (ND) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6
3. #99 Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Keilly Ulery (VU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) def. Rachael Dillon (VU) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
5. Kristen Rafael (ND) def. Hannah Blatt (VU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Erica Robertson (VU) def. Colleen Rielley (ND) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,1,3,5,2,4
Doubles
1. #4 Frilling/Krisik (ND) def. #27 Preeg/Wu (VU) 8-3
2. Newman/Robertson (VU) vs. Mathews/McGaffigan (ND) 7-6, unf.
3. Ciobanu/Rielley (ND) def. Blatt/Dillon (VU) 8-6
–ND–