Womens Tennis: Young Irish top Badgers
By JOE LINDSLEY
Sports Writer
Last May, Wisconsin knocked Notre Dame out of the NCAA tournament.
Although the Badgers returned many of their players this season, the Irish did not.
Yet No. 22 Notre Dame defeated No. 30 Wisconsin in Madison, 5-2.
And for the Irish, the match was not a venue for vengeance. Instead, it was an opportunity to show what their young team could accomplish.
Junior Alicia Salas, who was victorious in both singles and doubles, led the Irish effort and improved to 2-0 in dual match play this season. Salas, after her 6-4, 7-5 victory over Shana McElroy, is now 13-4 overall for 2002-03 and 29-3 in dual match play for her career.
Freshman Lauren Connelly joined Salas to clinch the doubles point for the Irish with the duo's 8-6 victory at No. 2 doubles over McElroy and Lara Vojnov.
That Irish pair is now 5-2 for the season. Unlike Salas, Lauren Connelly was limited to one victory for the day, and she was defeated in singles play by Wisconsin's Lindsay Martin.
The other contributors to the doubles point were senior Katie Cunha and freshman Kristina Stastny, who triumphed over Wisconsin's Katie McGaffin and Linde Mues, 8-3.
In singles, junior Caylan Leslie, in her second dual match after a 14-month injury hiatus, gave Mues the blues with her 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback triumph at No. 2 singles.
Sophomore Sarah Jane Connelly survived the Badgers' Vojnov, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-3.
Freshman Jennifer Smith rounded out the Irish victories with her 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 performance over Teresa Gonzaga.
With Sunday's performance, the Irish are now 2-0 in dual match play. The Irish will travel to Evanston, Ill. Thursday for a match against the No. 12 Northwestern Wildcats.
All Sports Stories for Monday, January 27, 2003
