April 15, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s tennis teams both have been seeded No. 1 for the 2002 BIG EAST Conference Championships, which begin Friday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Complex in Coral Gables, Fla. As the top seeds in the six-team competition, both Irish squads will have a bye into the semifinal round and will play Saturday at 9 a.m. (EDT). The Notre Dame men will face either fourth-seeded Boston College or No. 5 seed Rutgers, while the Irish women are slated to meet the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 4 seed BC and fifth-seeded Syracuse.
The Notre Dame men’s tennis team currently is ranked seventh in the nation after posting a 19-6 record, its highest regular-season win total since the 1994 squad was 21-9 heading into postseason play. That unit finished 23-10 and advanced the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships, the last time the Irish have advanced that far in the national tournament. Notre Dame is led by senior Javier Taborga (La Paz, Bolivia), who is the 18th-ranked singles player in the country. He also teams with senior Casey Smith (Leawood, Kan.) to make up the No. 4 doubles team in the nation.
The Irish are 13-4 in BIG EAST Championship play since joining the conference in 1996, reaching the title match each season and winning the championship in 1996 and ’99. Miami is the defending champion, but the 43rd-ranked Hurricanes are seeded third in this year’s event behind Virginia Tech, which comes into the tournament ranked 30th nationally.
The Notre Dame women’s tennis team is 13-11 this season and currently stands 25th in the country entering Monday night’s match at No. 10 Texas (5:30 p.m. CDT first serve). The Irish will be facing their 22nd ranked opponent of the year on Monday, having won 10 matches against ranked foes. Senior Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is the top-ranked Irish singles player, checking in at No. 86. Varnum and senior Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.) also comprise the 33rd-ranked doubles team in the land.
Notre Dame is a sparkling 15-2 in BIG EAST Championship action, advancing to the title match in each of the last six seasons and winning four championships. Once again, the Irish are the defending champions, coming off a 4-1 win over Miami in last year’s final. The Hurricanes are the second seed this year and are ranked 38th in the nation, although Notre Dame defeated UM, 4-3, back on April 7 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will move into the championship matches on Sunday, with the women scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (EDT) and the men slated to start at noon (EDT). This year’s BIG EAST champions will receive the league’s automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. The men’s finals are scheduled for May 18-27 in College Station, Texas, while the women’s finals will take place May 16-25 in Stanford, Calif.
— ND —