Feb. 26, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The seventh-ranked Irish women’s tennis team looks to continue its three-match win streak as they host No. 14 Georgia Tech and No. 13 Tennessee this weekend at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Saturday’s match against the Yellow Jackets is set for 11:00 a.m., while Sunday’s faceoff with the Lady Vols is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
The Irish enter this weekend’s contests riding a three-match win streak and an 8-1 record this season. Notre Dame is coming off a 7-0 sweep of No. 21 Ohio State on Wednesday and wins over No. 31 Illinois and then-No. 1 Northwestern last weekend.
Sophomore Kristy Frilling, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, leads the Irish with a 9-0 record at both No. 1 singles and doubles. Frilling’s stellar record includes wins over six nationally-ranked singles opponents and three ranked doubles teams. Frilling is ranked 23rd in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) latest singles poll, while she and senior teammate Kali Krisik are eighth in the doubles standings.
Krisik, at fourth singles, and freshman Chrissie McGaffigan, at No. 3, have also been keys to Notre Dame’s success as they carry 8-1 records into this weekend’s matches. Senior Cosmina Ciobanu is 7-2 at No. 5 singles, while sophomore Shannon Mathews is 6-3 at second singles.
The 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets are 6-3 heading into Saturday’s contest after falling to No. 12 Clemson, 5-2, Wednesday. Georgia Tech is led by the nation’s top-ranked singles player, Irina Falconi, who holds an 8-1 mark this season. Frilling and Falconi faced off in the fall at the ITA All-American Championships with Falconi claiming a 6-4, 6-1 win.
The Irish are 0-4 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, including a 4-3 loss last season in Atlanta.
No. 13 Tennessee also comes to the Eck with a 6-3 record after losing to No. 37 Indiana, 5-1, Feb. 21. Seventh-ranked Caitlin Whoriskey holds a 7-2 mark at No. 1 singles to lead the Lady Vols. Whoriskey teams with Natalie Pluskota as the country’s No. 1 doubles team. Frilling and Krisik also met Whoriskey and Pluskota at the ITA All-American Championships, falling 8-2 in the first round.
Notre Dame trails Tennessee 8-11 in the all-time series, but have won three straight matches, including a 5-2 decision last season in Knoxville.
Live stats and complete results will be available for both matches at www.UND.com.
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