Sept. 29, 2002
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. – Junior Alicia Salas (Engelwood, Colo./Cherry Creek) and freshman Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) reeled off four consecutive victories to claim the Flight B doubles championship at the adidas Invitational Sunday morning in Peachtree City, Ga. The doubles title was the highlight of the three-day tournament for the Irish, who were competing in their second tournament of the fall season.
Salas and Stastny were the only one of three Notre Dame doubles team which did not receive a bye in the second doubles flight. Nevertheless, the pair went to work with an 8-4 win over Susie Abromeit and Hillary Adams of Duke in the first round. A stern test awaited the Irish tandem in the quarterfinal round, but they moved on with an 8-6 win over Northwestern’s Stacy Kokx and Andrea Yung. The semifinal was not as much of a challenge, as Salas and Stastny rolled past the Tennessee duo of Erin Cohn and Claudia Farace, 8-1. In the title match, the Notre Dame pair completed their run with an 8-4 win over Jaime Peisel and Kristi Romer of Northwestern.
With the victory, Salas and Stastny now are 5-1 in doubles play this fall. The win also boosts Salas’ fall doubles record to 12-4 over the last two seasons. In addition, Salas now has advanced to a singles and doubles final in her first two fall tournaments. She reached the singles championship match at the Ohio State/Prince Cup last weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
In the singles bracket, the Irish struggled all weekend, dropping four of five matches in Flight A. However, that one win was a significant one, as freshman Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuiness) upset 52nd-ranked Jessica Rush of Northwestern in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Salas, who came into the tournament ranked 86th in the nation. After receiving a first-round bye, she was upended in the round of 16 by Yung, 6-0, 6-3. It was only the fifth singles loss for Salas in her last 36 matches, dating back to last year.
Notre Dame had better luck in Flight B of the singles draw, splitting 12 matches. Junior Emily Neighbours (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor) and sophomore Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) both advanced to the quarterfinals in the second singles bracket. Neighbours defeated Farace, 6-2, 6-4, in the opening round before rallying from one set down to post a 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 win over Wisconsin’s Lindsay Martin in the round of 16. Meanwhile, Connelly dispatched Kokx in the first round, 6-1, 7-5, and downed Cohn, 6-0, 6-1, in the round of 16.
Other singles winners for the Irish included freshman Jennifer Smith (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg), who won her first-round Flight B match with Romer by a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 count, and freshman Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory), who ousted Tennessee’s Megan Kerr in the first round, 6-1, 6-2.
Notre Dame will have the next month off before returning to the courts Oct. 24-29 for the Omni Hotel Region IV Championships in Lansing, Mich. The Irish will close out their fall schedule Nov. 8-10 with their lone home tournament, playing host to the Eck Classic at the Courtney Tennis Center.
— ND —
2002 adidas Invitational (at Peachtree City, Ga.)
Singles – Flight A
First Round
Lauren Connelly (ND) d. #52 Jessica Rush (Northwestern), 6-3, 6-4
Round of 16
Andrea Yung (NW) d. #86 Alicia Salas (ND) 6-0, 6-3
#23 Marine Piriou (NW) d. Katie Cunha (ND) 6-0, 6-2
#47 Saras Arasu (Duke) d. Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-4, 6-1
Jennifer Magley (Florida) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-3, 6-2
Singles – Flight B
First Round
Jennifer Smith (ND) d. Kristi Romer (NW) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Emily Neighbours (ND) d. Claudia Farace (Tennessee) 6-2, 6-4
Kelly Nelson (ND) d. Megan Kerr (UT) 6-1, 6-2
Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Stacy Kokx (NW) 6-1, 7-5
Nicole Mikolich (UF) d. Maggie Donohue (ND) 6-0, 6-1
Ashley Robards (UT) d. Liz Donohue (ND) 6-4, 7-6
Round of 16
Emily Neighbours (ND) d. Lindsey Martin (Wisconsin) 2-6, 7-6, 7-5
Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) d. Erin Cohn (UT) 6-1, 6-2
Ruth Barnes (NW) d. Kelly Nelson (ND) 6-0, 7-5
Hillary Adams (Duke) d. Jennifer Smith (ND) 6-0, 6-2
Quarterfinals
Hillary Adams (Duke) d. Emily Neighbours (ND) 6-3, 6-1
#99 Julia Smith (Duke) d. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles- Flight A
First Round
Tammy Encina/Sabita Maharaj (UT) d. Sarah Jane Connelly/Jennifer Smith (ND) 8-4
Quarterfinals
#23 Vilmarie Castellvi/Melissa Schaub (UT) d. Lauren Connelly/Katie Cunha (ND) 8-3
Doubles- Flight B
First Round
Alicia Salas/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Susie Abromeit/Hillary Adams (Duke) 8-4
Quarterfinals
Alicia Salas/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Stacy Kokx/Andrea Yung (NW) 8-6
Crystal Cleveland/Ashley Robards (UT) d. Emily Neighbours/Kelly Nelson (ND) 8-2
Erin Cohn/Claudia Farace (UT) d. Liz Donohue/Maggie Donohue (ND) 8-6
Semifinals
Alicia Salas/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Erin Cohn/Claudia Farace (UT) 8-1
Championship
Alicia Salas/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Jamie Peisel/Kristi Romer (NW) 8-4