May 12, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The eighth-ranked and 13th-seeded Notre Dame women’s tennis team won the doubles point and dropped just eight games in winning the second half of the singles lineup to beat Eastern Michigan 4-0 on Saturday in the NCAA first round at the Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish advance to the second round at noon on Sunday and will take on 51st-ranked Tulane, a 4-3 winner over 16th-ranked Texas A&M in the first match of the day. Junior Lindsey Green recorded both the clinching wins in singles and doubles. Notre Dame improves to 24-4 with the win, surpassing the 2000, 1999 and 1996 teams (each 23-7) for the most wins ever under 12th-year head coach Jay Louderback. Eastern Michigan ends its season with a 16-7 record.
The seventh-ranked Irish doubles team of senior All-American Michelle Dasso and junior Becky Varnum won their 20th consecutive match with an 8-1 victory over Lisa D’Amelio and Rebecca Hawkins at No. 1 doubles. Juniors Green and Nina Vaughan defeated Kendra Clark and Amalia Lincaru 8-2 at No. 2 doubles to give the Irish a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
Senior Kimberly Guy had her doubles match at No. 2 abandoned once the Irish had clinched the point but she was the first player off the court in singles. She won the final 11 games at No. 6 singles to beat Clark 6-1, 6-0 and put Notre Dame ahead 2-0. Freshman Caylan Leslie had a successful NCAA debut with her 6-4, 6-1 win over Lincaru at No. 4 singles. Green then clinched Notre Dame’s spot in the second round when she defeated Shari Gamarnik 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 singles.
Tulane rallied from an 0-2 deficit to beat Texas A&M for its first NCAA win in two appearances and notch its biggest victory in history by beating the 16th-ranked Aggies. The Green Wave won in straight sets at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, rallied at No. 1 singles after losing the first set and held on to win the final match at No. 4 singles in a third-set tiebreaker after losing a tiebreaker in the second set. Notre Dame and Tulane met once before, a 7-2 Green Wave win over the visiting Irish on March 18, 1982.
#8 NOTRE DAME 4, EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
Singles
No. 1: #3 Michelle Dasso (ND) vs. Rebecca Hawkins (EMU) 6-3, 4-0, abandoned
No. 2: #85 Becky Varnum (ND) vs. Simone Duhme (EMU) 1-6, 2-2, abandoned
No. 3: #91 Nina Vaughan (ND) vs. Lisa D’Amelio (EMU) 6-2, 2-2, abandoned
No. 4: Caylan Leslie (ND) def. Amalia Lincaru (EMU) 6-4, 6-1
No. 5: Lindsey Green (ND) def. Shari Gamarnik (EMU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6: Kimberly Guy (ND) def. Kendra Clark (EMU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1: #7 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. D’Amelio/Hawkins (EMU) 8-1
No. 2: Katie Cunha/Guy (ND) vs. Duhme/Gamarnik (EMU) 6-2, abandoned
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) def. Clark/Lincaru (EMU) 8-2