Illini Drop Home Opener to Irish

Jan. 26, 2007

URBANA, Ill. - The Illinois women's tennis team could not overcome fourth-ranked Notre Dame tonight at the Atkins Tennis Center, dropping its home opener 7-0 to the visiting Irish. Despite an aggressive effort in singles and doubles, Illinois was over powered by one of the top teams in the nation.

"This was the fourth-ranked team in the country, and I thought the girls did well to stay aggressive in their matches," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "The first question I asked the team was if they thought they felt competitive on their courts, and everyone was very positive in their responses. I was very proud of Alejandra, she played the best I have ever seen her play all year. Overall, we have a lot we can take away from this match, and can continue to improve heading into Tennessee on Monday."

At No. 1 doubles, the pair of senior Emily Wang and freshman Megan Fudge looked primed to upset the nationally-ranked duo of Catrina and Christian Thompson (No. 11 nationally, No. 1 Midwest) of Notre Dame. The match flip-flopped momentum in the early goings, with the Illini tying up the contest at 2-2. From there, the Irish took hold of the match, leading 7-4 despite the Illini having three early break points on the Irish's serve. In the end, Wang and Fudge were broken to give the Thompson pair the victory, 8-4. At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Shivani Davé and newcomer Bryce Marable fell to No. 5-ranked Brook Buck and Kelcy Tefft (ND), 8-1, while the No. 3 doubles tandem of freshman Kristina Minor and junior Momei Qu dropped their match to Cosmina Ciobanu and Kali Krisik (ND), 8-5.

The Irish continued their stronghold of the match, sweeping the singles to seal the 7-0 victory.

At No. 1 singles, Fudge, ranked 10^thin the Midwest, took on Catrina Thompson (No. 4 nationally, No. 12 Midwest). Despite Fudge connecting on a number of winners, Thompson walked away with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Qu (ILL), at No. 2 singles, fell to Colleen Rielley (ND; No. 31 nationally, No. 3 Midwest) 6-3, 6-1, while Marable (ILL) at No. 3 singles dropped her match to Christian Thompson (ND) 6-2, 6-3.  At No. 4 singles, Davé (ILL) gave Tefft (No. 20 Midwest) all she could handle in the first set, but could not hold on, dropping the frame 7-5. In the second, Tefft took hold of the match, sealing the win with a 6-2 second set. At No. 5 singles Minor fell 6-1, 6-0 to Ciobanu (ND). Junior Alejandra Meza Cuadra (ILL) made a match of her three-set thriller at No. 6 singles, as she took the first set 6-4 to give herself a early lead over Katie Potts (ND). Potts rebounded to level the match at a set apiece with a 6-2 second set before grabbing the third, 10-1.

Illinois continues its home stand when it takes on No. 31 Tennessee on Sunday, Jan. 28, at noon at the Atkins Tennis Center. Fans can follow the match through live scoring at www.fightingillini.com. A full recap of the contest can be found at the conclusion of the match.

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS

NOTRE DAME VS ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

#4 NOTRE DAME 7, ILLINOIS 0

Singles competition:

1. #41 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. Megan Fudge (ILL) 6-2, 6-3

2. #31 Colleen  Rielley (ND) def. Momei Qu (ILL) 6-3, 6-1

3. Christian Thompson (ND) def. Bryce Marable (ILL) 6-2, 6-3

4. Kelcy Tefft (ND) def. Shivani Davé (ILL) 7-5, 6-1

5. Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) def. Kristina Minor (ILL) 6-1, 6-0

6. Katie Potts (ND) def. Alejandra Meza Cuadra (ILL) 4-6, 6-2, 10-1

Doubles competition

1. #11 Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson (ND) def. Megan Fudge/Emily Wang (ILL) 8-4

2. #5 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) def. Bryce Marable/Shivani Davé (ILL) 8-1

3. Cosmina Ciobanu/Kali Krisik (ND) def. Kristina Minor/Momei Qu (ILL) 8-5

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Alejandra Cuadra

Shivani Davé

Megan Fudge

Kristina Minor

Momei Qu

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