April 22, 2001
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The seventh-ranked and top-seeded Notre Dame women’s tennis team beat 39th-ranked and second-seeded host Miami 4-1 on Sunday to win its fourth BIG EAST conference title in six years in the league. The Irish won the doubles point and used singles victories by senior All-American Michelle Dasso, junior Becky Varnum and senior Kimberly Guy to defeat the Hurricanes — hosts of the last eight BIG EAST championships. Notre Dame earns the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA championship and will make its sixth consecutive appearance and eighth overall. Notre Dame improves to 23-4 with its eighth consecutive win and continues its best start under 14th-year head coach Jay Louderback, who earned his fifth BIG EAST coach-of-the-year honor in six years in the conference.
The Irish claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles. The sixth-ranked doubles team of Dasso and Varnum were 8-1 winners at No. 1 doubles for the 19th straight match, beating Katia Bogomolova and Alanna Broderick. Juniors Lindsey Green and Nina Vaughan clinched the point for Notre Dame with their 8-6 win over Sihem Bennacer and Bettina Hafner at No. 3 doubles.
Guy put the Irish ahead 2-0 when she defeated Lauren Scaglione 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6 singles. The Hurricanes pulled within 2-1 when Marcy Hora beat Irish freshman Caylan Leslie 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 singles. Dasso, who was named BIG EAST championship most outstanding player for the second consecutive year, put Notre Dame within one win from the title as she downed Hafner 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. With all three matches into third sets, Varnum won her eighth consecutive match and the 12th in her last 13 matches at No. 2 singles. She rallied to beat Alanna Broderick 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 for her team-leading eighth clinching victory.
The Irish also beat the Hurricanes 6-1 earlier in the season in match played at Miami. Notre Dame and Miami have met in every BIG EAST championship final since the Irish joined the conference in 1996. The Irish have won titles in 2001, 1999, 1997 and 1996, while the Hurricanes have defeated Notre Dame in 2000 and 1998. The BIG EAST title marks the fourth for Notre Dame this season, also winning tournament crowns in women’s soccer, volleyball and women’s swimming and diving.
#7 NOTRE DAME 4, #39 MIAMI 1
Singles
No. 1: #4 Michelle Dasso (ND) def. Bettina Hafner (UM) 6-3, 6-2
No. 2: #95 Becky Varnum (ND) def. Alanna Broderick (UM) 2-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 3: #94 Nina Vaughan (ND) vs. Katia Bogomolova (UM) 4-6, 6-4, 6-5, abandoned
No. 4: Marcy Hora (UM) def. Caylan Leslie (ND) 6-4, 6-2
No. 5: Lindsey Green (ND) vs. Sihem Bennacer (UM) 7-5, 5-7, 2-3, abandoned
No. 6: Kimberly Guy (ND) def. Lauren Scaglione (UM) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1: #6 Dasso/Varnum (ND) def. Bogomolova/Broderick (UM) 8-1
No. 2: Katie Cunha/Guy (ND) vs. deVilliers/Hora (UM) 4-5, abandoned
No. 3: Green/Vaughan (ND) def. Bennacer/Hafner (UM) 8-6