March 4, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The 15th-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team won five of six singles matches — including a rare No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-0 win — and added a win at No. 2 doubles to beat 36th-ranked Iowa 6-3 on Saturday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Irish freshman Katie Cunha won Notre Dame’s fifth and clinching singles win by rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over Iowa freshman Stephie Hoch at No. 6 singles. The Irish improve to 10-4 with the win, while Iowa falls to 3-6. Notre Dame — after wins against 12th-ranked Northwestern on Wednesday and 33rd-ranked Ohio State on Thursday — concludes a stretch of four matches in five days against 21st-ranked Kentucky on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Junior All-American Michelle Dasso needed just 45 minutes to give the Irish a 1-0 lead when she beat Iowa senior Shera Wiegler 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, marking the first singles match in her collegiate career Dasso has beaten an opponent 6-0, 6-0. Senior Kelly Zalinski then finished off senior Natalya Dawaf 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles for a 2-0 Irish lead.
After quick 2-0 advantage, Notre Dame then won two three-set matches for a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Nina Vaughan held on for a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) win over junior Megan Kearney at No. 4 singles. Sophomore Lindsey Green rallied to beat junior Erica Johnson 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 5 singles after trailing 3-5 in the second set. Iowa sophomore Toni Neykova beat sophomore Becky Varnum 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 at No. 2 for the Hawkeyes’ first point. Cunha then rallied from 2-4 in the third set to beat Hoch for a 5-1 lead in the deciding match.
Green and Zalinski beat Dawaf and Jennifer Sinclair 8-5 at No. 2 doubles for Notre Dame’s final. Iowa then closed the match with wins at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles for the 6-3 final.
#15 NOTRE DAME 6, #36 IOWA 3
Singles
No. 1: #48 Michelle Dasso (ND) def. Shera Wiegler (I) 6-0, 6-0
No. 2: Toni Neykova (I) def. Becky Varnum (ND) 7-5, 1-6, 7-5
No. 3: Kelly Zalinski (ND) def. Natalya Dawaf (I) 6-3, 6-1
No. 4: Nina Vaughan (ND) def. Megan Kearney (I) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (4)
No. 5: Lindsey Green (ND) def. Erica Johnson (I) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 6: Katie Cunha (ND) def. Stephie Hoch (I) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1: #14 Neykova/Wiegler (I) def. Cunha/Dasso (ND) 8-6
No. 2: Green/Zalinski (ND) def. Dawaf/Jennifer Sinclair (I) 8-5
No. 3: Johnson/Kearney (I) def. Varnum/Vaughan (ND) 8-6