April 6, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the first time in her Irish career, junior Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week for women’s tennis, it was announced by the conference on Wednesday. She put together a 2-0 week in both singles and doubles, en route to the team earning a pair of victories over Long Beach State and Texas A&M.
Mathews continued her dominance at No. 2 singles, improving her record to 14-2 on the year with wins over Long Beach State’s Klaudia Malenovska, 6-0, 6-2, and Texas A&M’s Morgan Frank, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. The junior also improved to 14-2 in matches that have been decided in straight sets.
In doubles action, Mathews continued her dominant trend with partner Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio). The duo, now ranked 22nd in the nation, secured two more victories and now enjoy a 12-match winning streak, pushing their record to 15-3 on the dual season at No. 1 doubles. The pairing defeated Anais Dallara and Malenovska of Long Beach State, 8-3, before knocking off Janelle Cuthbertson and Christi Liles of Texas A&M, 8-5.
Mathews’ Player of the Week honors marks the fourth time this season that an Irish women’s tennis player has received the accolade, with Frilling winning twice before and freshman Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.) earning it once prior.
Mathews and the rest of the squad return to the courts Thursday when they square off with 16th-ranked Northwestern at 4:00 (ET) at the Combe Indoor Tennis Center.
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