Sept. 17, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Eight teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Championship highlight the spring dual-match schedule for the University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team. The Irish are scheduled to open the season this Friday at the Prince Cup Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, and the fall slate winds up from Nov. 8-10 with the Eck Classic, the only home tournament of the fall.
Other fall action for Notre Dame includes the Sept. 27-29 adidas Classic in Atlanta, Ga. and the Riviera Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif. from Oct. 10-13. The Irish also will participate in the Omni Hotels Region IV Championships in East Lansing, Mich. from Oct. 24-29. Some individuals also may qualify for the Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in Dallas, Texas from Nov. 7-10.
In spring action, the Irish will play host to 11 home matches, highlighted by visits from NCAA quarterfinalists North Carolina (Feb. 1) and Texas (March 1), as well as round-of-16 participants Duke (Feb. 21) and Texas (March 2). The dual-match season opens on January 22 in the Eck Tennis Pavilion against Western Michigan at 4 p.m.
Notre Dame will play 10 road matches in the spring, including visits to NCAA semifinalist Tennessee (Feb. 23), round-of-16 participants Northwestern (Jan. 30), Kentucky (Feb. 24) and Arizona State (March 14), BIG EAST champion Miami (April 12), and Wisconsin (Jan. 25), who knocked the Irish out of the NCAA tournament a year ago.
A 10th straight trip to the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. from Feb. 6-10 also may be in store for Notre Dame. The Irish then will attempt to regain the conference title at the 2003 BIG EAST Championship in Coral Gables, Fla. from April 25-27 and hope to earn an eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, set to begin May 9-11 at campus sites and finish in Gainesville, Fla. from May 15-24.