May 22, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s tennis seniors Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) found out their draw for 2012 NCAA Singles and Doubles Individual Championships Tuesday. The Championships, which take place at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., see Mathews begins competition in singles action Wednesday, while Mathews and Frilling will team for doubles beginning Thursday.
This is the 10th year in a row that the Irish have had at least one player selected to compete in the NCAA Singles Championship and the sixth straight to be represented in the doubles tournament. It also is the second consecutive year that Mathews has been chosen for the singles draw and the second straight year that the team of Frilling and Mathews will compete in doubles action.
Mathews earned the BIG EAST’s automatic singles bid into the draw after finishing the year ranked 32nd in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) polls. Overall, she concluded her final regular season with the Irish carrying a record of 21-9, including amassing five wins against ranked opposition.
She takes on 22-2 and top-seeded Allie Will of Florida in the first round of competition. It is only the second time that an Irish player has squared off with the No. 1 seed, with the only other time coming back in 2001 when Michelle Dasso fell to Stanford’s Laura Granville in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.
The doubles tandem of Mathews and Frilling, meanwhile, enter as a No. 5-8 seed in the 32-team draw. This year the Irish pairing sported a 29-9 record and secured 12 wins against nationally-ranked foes, helping them finish the year ranked eighth nationally. This marks the first time an Irish doubles team has appeared at the NCAA Championship on multiple occasions since Catrina Thompson and Christian Thompson qualified four consecutive years (’04-07).
Frilling and Mathews square off with Stacey Tan and Ellen Tsay of Stanford in the round of 32 on Thursday. The Cardinal duo enters the draw as the 24th ranked team in the country after finishing the year with a record of 23-2.
For complete recaps of the Irish as they look to advance in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships continue checking back with UND.com.
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