Blue Devils overpower Irish in season opener
Special to The Observer
Despite impressive victories by senior All-American Michelle Dasso and junior Nina Vaughan, the 13th-ranked Notre Dame women's tennis team lost its dual-match season opener 4-3 to fourth-ranked Duke at the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Sunday.
The teams split the singles matches and the Blue Devils took all three doubles matches to win their first dual match of 2000-01. The Irish will next be in action at the adidas Classic in Orlando, Fla. this weekend.
Third-ranked Dasso opened the spring season with an impressive victory over freshman Ansley Cargill, ranked No. 2 in the nation, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. Cargill played in the French Open and U.S. Open in 2000 and has been ranked as high as 253rd in the world by the Women's Tennis Association.
Vaughan also notched a quality win, defeating senior All-American Megan Miller 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3 singles. The other victory for the Irish came from senior Kimberly Guy, who defeated sophomore Hillary Adams 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at No. 6. Sophomore Katie Granson clinched the match for Duke with a 6-3, 6-3 win over junior Lindsey Green at No. 5 singles, while 14th-ranked Kathy Sell and 16th-ranked Amanda Johnson also claimed wins for the Blue Devils.
Duke claimed the doubles point by taking all three matches.
The Blue Devils got an 8-6 victory by sixth-ranked Johnson and Miller over Dasso and junior Becky Varnum, the eighth ranked team in the country, at No. 1 doubles.
Cargill and Sell defeated sophomore Katie Cunha and Guy to clinch the doubles point 8-3 at No. 2 doubles, while Granson and Adams also won at No. 3 doubles.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, January 23, 2001
