ND sends two pairs to Rolex Invitational
By KEVIN BERCHOU
Sports Writer
It could very well be "doubles trouble" for opponents of the Notre Dame women's tennis team this weekend.
For the first time ever, the Irish will send two doubles pairings to the prestigious Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Champion-ships in Dallas. Notre Dame joins Florida and Stanford as the only schools to send more than one doubles pair.
The duo of junior All-American Michelle Dasso and standout sophomore Becky Varnum qualified by virtue of their doubles victory in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Region tennis finals, while the coupling of junior Kimberly Guy and freshman Katie Cunha received a bid thanks in part to their ITA ranking of 15. It is the first time since 1996 that the Notre Dame women will be represented with a doubles pairing and, head coach Jay Louderback thinks both of his teams have a shot to make some noise.
"I think both of our pairings are strong," Louderback said. "Both have played well all year and now they are being rewarded for their efforts."
Though both pairings are expected to do well, they will rely on contrasting styles to achieve success. The Dasso-Varnum tandem plays a defensive game, relying on a strong return serve game and powerful groundstrokes. The Guy-Kunha play in the opposite fashion, counting heavily on an offensive style.
"Guy and Cunha are both great serve and volley players," Louderback noted. "They'll try to get after their opponents."
Since the Rolex Indoors do not count in the official league standings, the Irish women will be presented with a great chance to gain some valuable experience without the pressure that comes with playing in their regular season Big East matches.
Louderback thinks this weekend's tournament will prove especially vital for the tandem of Guy and Cunha, the team's number two pairing.
"It's going to be great for them [Guy-Cunha]," Louderback said. "They'll get the chance to play against a lot of No. 1 doubles teams. Normally they play our opponents' number two [pairings], so this will be a nice opportunity for them to improve."
With both teams playing well, opponents this weekend could very well be in "doubles trouble," as the Irish will look to bring home a title.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 4, 2000
