Sept. 17, 2007
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore #110 Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, KS), freshman Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, TX) and sophomore Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, KS) each captured their respective flight championships at the St. Mary’s Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday.
Rielley, winner of Flight Two, continued her stellar play following a 6-1, 6-0 pounding of #80 Austin Smith of North Carolina. She failed to drop a single set in her three matches and lost just six games (never more than two in any set) over the weekend. Rielley also knocked off a pair of players ranked inside the top 100. She improved to 3-0 on the season and 33-11 for her career.
Rafael, winner of Flight Four, registered her third straight victory to open her career. She upended Lenka Hojckova of NC State, 6-4, 6-1. Similar to Rielley, Rafael cruised to the flight title with three straight set victories.
Krisik captured Flight Seven following a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Alexandra Jurewitz of North Carolina – her third consecutive, straight set win. Krisik is 3-0 on the year and 19-5 over her career.
Senior #91 Brook Buck (Yukon, OK) finished third in Flight One. Buck, who lost to eventual flight champion #39 Sanaz Marand of North Carolina in the semifinals, defeated #44 Alex Hirsch of Wake Forest, 6-1, 6-1. In addition to the 44th-ranked Hirsch, Buck also knocked off 51st-ranked Yvette Hyndman of Georgia this weekend (both in straight sets). She is 2-1 on the season and 66-28 for her career.
Sophomore Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, CA) captured the consolation bracket of Flight Three. She slipped past Jennifer Meredith of Tennessee, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Ciobanu is now 2-1 this year and 38-6 for her career.
Notre Dame returns to action the weekend of Sept. 28-30 for the Michigan Wolverine Invitational.
Singles
#91 Brook Buck (Notre Dame) def. #44 Alex Hirsch (Wake Forest) 6-1, 6-1
#110 Colleen Rielley (Notre Dame) def. #80 Austin Smith (North Carolina) 6-1, 6-0
#45 Cosmina Ciobanu (Notre Dame) def. Jennifer Meredith (Tennessee) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Kristen Rafael (Notre Dame) def. Lenka Hojckova (NC State) 6-4, 6-1
Kali Krisik (Notre Dame) def. Alexandra Jurewitz (North Carolina) 6-1, 6-3
Catherine Grotz (NC State) def. Denise Ellison (Notre Dame) 6-0, 6-1
— ND —