May 16, 1999
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The 12th-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team earned a No. 12 seed and was selected as one of 16 first- and second-round sites for the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships. In first round matches at the Courtney Tennis Center, the Irish will take on Illinois-Chicago on Sat., May 15, at 10:00 a.m., and Florida State and Iowa will play at 2:00 p.m. First-round winners will play a second-round match on Sun., May 16, at 11:00 a.m. with the winner advancing to the round of 16 at the University of Florida. Tickets can be purchased through the Notre Dame ticket office at (219) 631-7356 at a cost of $6 for adults and $4 for college students with identification, senior citizens over 55 and children 16 and under.
“We’re really excited to be selected as a host of the first and second rounds,” said Irish head coach Jay Louderback. ” There are three talented teams coming to Notre Dame so it such be three great matches.”
Notre Dame and UIC each earned automatic bids into the tournament as the Irish won the BIG EAST title, and the 15-10 Flames claimed the Midwestern Collegiate Conference crown to earn their first-ever NCAA bid. Notre Dame has beaten UIC in each of their five meetings, but the two teams have not played since the 1985-86 season. The Flames will be making their second trip to Notre Dame this season after competing in the Eck Classic which was held Sept. 18-20, 1998, at the Courtney Tennis Center.
Florida State currently is ranked 19th in the country with a 21-6 record and received an at-large bid into the NCAA championships. Freshman Alida Gallovits is ranked 91st in singles and 47th in doubles with sophomore Nanette Duxin. The Irish beat the Seminoles 6-1 in 1996 in the only meeting between the two schools.
Iowa is ranked 39th in the country with a 16-8 record and received an at-large selection to make its first-ever NCAA appearance. Freshman Toni Neykova and junior Shera Wiegler are ranked 38th in doubles. The Irish beat the Hawkeyes 8-1 earlier in the year on March 20, at the Eck Tennis Pavilion and have won all four meetings with Iowa.
This marks the third straight year Notre Dame has played host to NCAA women’s tennis matches. The Courtney Tennis Center served as site of the NCAA national tournament in 1998 and the NCAA Midwest Regional on 1997.