Sept. 18, 2004
BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team continued its superb play by going unbeaten in 11 matches Saturday in the season-opening Colorado Invitational at the CU-Boulder South Campus Tennis Courts. The Irish dropped just two sets in winning seven singles matches against Auburn and then gave up no more than four games in any match in securing four doubles triumphs vs. the tournament hosts.
Among the highlights of the second day of the 2004-05 season was the first career victory for freshman Bailey Louderback (South Bend, Ind./Penn H.S.) – the daughter of Irish head coach Jay Louderback – who teamed with junior Liz Donohue (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman H.S.) to defeat Brooke Stern and Vera Nurmi of Colorado 8-4. Donohue also gained her first singles win of the young campaign, losing just one game in defeating Auburn’s Erin Gray 6-0, 6-1.
Rookie Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) continued to have success, as she lost just four games on Saturday. Buck defeated Sarah Suitor, who played No. 5 for Auburn in ’04, 6-4, 6-0 before teaming with junior Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) to beat the Buffaloes’ team of Martina Sedivec and Jenny Hanson 8-1. Connelly dropped just five games in singles, beating Nancy Peadon (Auburn’s No. 6 player last season) 6-3, 6-2.
Sophomore Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), ranked 103rd nationally in singles, defeated Jelana Jovic of Auburn 6-2, 6-1 before teaming with her twin sister, Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) to register an 8-4 triumph over Jessica Vanderdys and Kendra Strandemo of the tournament host. Christian Thompson went three sets before prevailing 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 in singles against Isabel Rosenbrock.
Junior Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) has lost just six games in four sets of singles action this weekend, as she beat Ashley Cowart of Auburn 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday. She and senior captain Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) then notched an 8-3 win over Gleisy Torres Torres and Allison Quinn.
Connelly won a tight three-setter for the second day in a row, rallying to defeat Auburn’s Tori Almagno 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. After going just 1-5 in three-set matches in 2003-04, the Irish captain has regained the form that saw her go 8-3 in three-setters as a sophomore.
Notre Dame will conclude action in the Colorado Invitational on Sunday, facing Denver in singles at 9:30 a.m. (MDT) and in doubles afterwards.
Singles
#103 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. Jelana Jovic (Auburn) 6-2, 6-1
Christian Thompson (ND) def. Isabel Rosenbrock (A) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Kristina Stastny (ND) def. Ashley Cowart (A) 6-2, 6-3
Lauren Connelly (ND) def. Nancy Peadon (A) 6-3, 6-2
Brook Buck (ND) def. Sarah Suitor (A) 6-4, 6-0
Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) def. Tori Almagno (A) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Liz Donohue (ND) def. Erin Gray (A) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
#7 Thompson/Thompson (ND) def. Jessica Vanderdys/Kendra Strandemo (Colorado) 8-4
Buck/L. Connelly (ND) def. (C) Martina Sedivec/Jenny Hanson 8-1
S.J. Connelly/Stastny (ND) def. Gleisy Torres Torres/Allison Quinn (C) 8-3
Donohue/Bailey Louderback (ND) def. Brooke Stern/Veera Nurmi (C) 8-4