November 5, 1998

Singles Draw Lower
Singles Draw Upper
Singles Consolation Draw

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dames top-seeded sophomore and defending champion Michelle Dasso, fourth-seeded senior All-American Jennifer Hall and unseeded freshman Becky Varnum each won a pair of matches to advance to the third round of the ITA Midwest Region Singles and Doubles Championships at Notre Dames Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish lead the third round with three players while Marquette, Minnesota and Northwestern each have two players in the third round.

Dasso cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Wisconsins April Gabler in the first round and won a tight first on her way to a 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 win over Northwesterns Colleen Cheng in the second round. She will face Marquettes NO. 9-16 seed Ana Fernandez in the third round on Friday.

Hall dropped just four games on her way to the third round. She beat Bradleys Ali Kail 6-0, 6-1 and Iowas Emily Bampton 6-3, 6-0. Hall and Dasso then teamed up as the third-seeded doubles team and rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Michigan States Isabell Oelze and Brooke West.

Varnum beat Marquettes Sara Fernandez 6-0, 6-1 in the first round and won 6-2, 6-4 in the second round over Ohio States Michelle Matko, who had knocked out Northwesterns No. 5-8 seeded Katherine Nasser in the first round.

Marquettes second-seeded Elisa Penalvo round into the third round but Wisconsins third-seeded Barbara Urbanska had to rally to beat Irish freshman Lindsey Green 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.

Notre Dame senior Marisa Velasco and Wisconsins Andrea Nathan were the only other seeded players to lose, dropping second-round matches. Velasco lost a tight 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 match to Illinois Simone Kung, and Nathan lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Northwesterns Laura Guignon.

Irish junior Kelly Zalinski dropped a 7-5, 6-3 match to Miamis Natalia Soetrisno, and junior Sarah Scaringe, sophomore Kimberly Guy and freshman Nina Vaughan lost three-set matches in the first round.

In other doubles first-round matches, Marquettes top-seeded team of Sara Fernandez and Elisa Penalvo beat Michigans Jen Boyland and Jen Vaughn 6-0, 6-3 in the first round. Notre Dames Green and Scaringe held off a set point against them in the first set for a 7-5, 6-2 win over Southern Illinois Simona Petrutiu and Pamela Floro. The Irish team of Vaughan and Zalinski won 6-0, 6-0 over Cleveland States Brandy Cera and Adrienne Costanzo.

The singles third round and quarterfinals, doubles second round will be played on Friday. Consolation singles and doubles begins on Friday.