Nov. 21, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s tennis coach Jay Louderback has announced the signing of two incoming freshman for the 2008-09 school year. Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, MI) and Kristy Frilling (Sidney, OH) have signed national letters of intent to enroll at Notre Dame next year and join the Irish tennis team in the fall. Both are ranked among the top 20 current high school seniors in the country.
“I am very excited about this class,” said Louderback. “I think both Shannon and Kristy will have a shot at playing immediately for us. They are going to have an opportunity to come in and make a big impact on our program immediately.”
Frilling is the 12th-ranked player in the country and top-ranked from the state of Ohio by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the nation’s most comprehensive source for information about tennis recruiting. She has reached as high as No. 108 in the world in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Rankings, and currently stands at No. 146.
“Kristy not only brings a tremendous amount of national experience at the junior level, but also quality experience at the international level to our program,” said Louderback. “She will make an immediate difference for us, especially indoors because she plays such a big game.”
Frilling has reached the finals of three doubles events in the last year, winning the Easter Bowl – US Closed Championships and USTA International Spring Championships (consecutive weeks), while posting an overall 4-6 singles record in ITF tournaments and an 15-5 doubles mark. She also advanced into the semifinals of the U.S. Open Junior Doubles Championship. In singles, Frilling moved through qualifying and participated in the Wimbledon Junior Championship. She is currently ranked No. 788 in the world in singles and 527 in the world in doubles.
Frilling is 14-11 overall in singles, including an 8-4 record against other TennisRecruiting.net blue-chip (4-3) and five-star (4-1) recruits.
Mathews is the 14th-ranked player in the country and top-ranked from the state of Michigan by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the nation’s most comprehensive source for information about tennis recruiting. She has compiled a 30-12 juniors record in 2007, including a 16-12 record against other TennisRecruiting.net blue-chip (8-11) and five-star (8-1) recruits.
“Shannon has made a big jump over the last two years,” said Louderback. “She has developed into a legitimate top 15 player in the country and has a great chance to make an impact in both singles and doubles.”
Mathews captured the 2007 Lochmoor 18-and-under Fall Championship and reached the quarterfinals of four other major junior tournaments, including the 2007 U.S. International 2007 Hard Court Championship, 2007 K-Swiss Tennis Championship, 2007 USTA 18-and-under Winter Championship and 2006 USTA National Open Championship. In fact, Mathews advanced into the semifinals of the National Opens. She has also captured both the 16-and-under and 18-and-under Midwest Section titles.
The 2007-08 Irish squad will open their dual-match season on Jan. 20 at Louisville. Notre Dame starts its home schedule on Feb. 5 against BYU (5:00 p.m.) in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
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