Feb. 3, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 13th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team suffered its second loss in as many days Sunday, a 5-2 decision to #40 Indiana at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Hoosiers won the doubles point, but the Irish claimed the first two singles matches off the court to take a 2-1 lead before Indiana swept the four matches at the top of the lineup to gain the win. The Hoosiers improve to 6-0, while the Irish fall to 3-2. Notre Dame will return to action on Thursday, when it travels to Madison, Wisc. to take part in the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The tournament is the nation’s premier national team indoor event and has a field of 16 teams which take part in dual matches from Thursday through Sunday.
The Hoosiers won the first two doubles matches off the court to claim the doubles point. Martina Grimm and Dominika Walterova gained an 8-4 win at No. 3 before Amanda Field and Inga Radel rallied from a 5-2 deficit for an 8-6 victory at No. 2. The Irish pair of Becky Varnum (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Lindsey Green (El Cajon, Calif.), ranked 29th nationally, managed a 9-8 (7-2) win over the 30th-ranked team of Karie Schlukebir and Linda Tran.
The Irish took a 2-1 lead on the strength of victories by sophomore Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo.) and freshman Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.). Salas turned in a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 5, marking her eighth consecutive win and the 11th in her last 12 matches. Salas is 13-1 in singles in her career in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Connelly gained a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 6 to give Notre Dame the lead. The Hoosiers then won the remaining four matches. Tran notched a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 3 and Schlukebir won 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) at No. 2 to set up Radel?s 7-5, 6-4 clinching win at No. 4. Field won 7-5, 7-5 at No. 1 singles after the outcome was determined.
The win broke a six-match losing streak for Indiana against the Irish and marked the first time since 1997 that Notre Dame dropped two straight matches at home.
#40 Indiana 5, #13 Notre Dame 2
Singles
No. 1: Amanda Field (IU) d. #58 Becky Varnum (ND) 7-5, 7-5
No. 2: Karie Schlukebir (IU) d. Lindsey Green (ND) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
No. 3: Linda Tran (IU) d. Nina Vaughan (ND) 7-5, 6-4
No. 4: Inga Radel (IU) d. Katie Cunha (ND) 7-5, 6-4
No. 5: Alicia Salas (ND) d. Dominika Walterova (IU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 6: Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Martina Grimm (IU) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1: #29 Green/Varnum (ND) d. #30 Schlukebir/Tran (IU) 9-8 (7-2)
No. 2: Field/Radel (IU) d. #53 Connelly/Cunha (ND) 8-6
No. 3: Grimm/Walterova (IU) d. Salas/Vaughan (ND) 8-4