Tarheels, Demon Deacons serve up challenge for Irish
By KEVIN BERCHOU
Sports Writer
The Notre Dame women's tennis team is headed in the right direction.
After moving up two spots to No. 15, the Irish will look to continue their climb with important road matches this weekend against the 29th ranked Tar Heels of North Carolina and the fifth-ranked Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.
"It's well deserved," head coach Jay Louderback said of the Irish ranking. "We play such a difficult schedule, with a ton of great matches, and that's a big factor."
Moving up, however, will not come easily as the task of playing two ranked opponents in the same weekend is a tall one. The Irish, though, appear to be up to it.
"I think we thrive off of playing good teams," Louderback said. "Our kids want to compete against the best."
Notre Dame has played well of late, downing then 12th-ranked William and Mary last week in the first round of national team indoors championship, before falling to top-ranked Stanford in a close match.
The soaring Irish have been propelled by the ever-improving play of junior Michelle Dasso, who has made a recent habit of dispatching her opponents quickly. Senior Kelly Zalinski has also contributed to the ascent, and by virtue of a recent win streak is just nine wins short of the school record for career singles victories. Sophomore Becky Varnum has flourished in her role as the team's No. 2 singles player.
North Carolina, despite its 1-3 record, will prove a difficult test.
"They've lost three matches to top 20 teams," Louderback noted. "They're a lot better than their record."
The Tar Heels, who are coached by Roland Thornqvist, will play freshman Marlene Mejia against Dasso in No. 1 singles, while Jessica Zaganczyk will face Varnum in No. 2 singles. The tandem of Mejia and Erin Niebling will battle Dasso and Varnum in No. 1 doubles play. Louderback insists his squad is not looking past the Tar Heels.
"We have to be leery of them. They're good and deep," he said. "We can't even begin to think about Wake Forest until that match is over."
The Demon Deacons figure to give the Irish a devil of a time. Wake Forest sports a strong 3-1 record and advanced all the way to the semifinals of last weekend's national indoors competition before losing to eventual runner-up California.
Fifth-ranked Wake Forest boasts a potent singles repertoire bolstered by Adria Engel, who will play No. 1 singles, and Janet Bergman, the squad's No. 2 player.
Louderback said the Deacons have the singles edge, but believes his squad has an advantage in doubles.
"I think they definitely have us in singles, and we'll need to step up our play there," Louderback said. "But I do think our doubles are better. They have played so well lately."
If the Irish are to knock the Deacons from their pulpit, they'll need nothing short of a spectacular effort from their doubles squadrons. The tandem of Dasso and Varnum has been superb, but the coupling of junior Kimberly Guy and freshman Katie Cunha has been equally brilliant. This weekend will go a long way in determining whether or not the Irish can continue to climb in the rankings.
Two wins would serve as a springboard, while even one defeat could be damaging.
Louderback is aware of this weekend's importance.
"It certainly is a big weekend," he said. "The whole team needs to step it up a notch."
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 25, 2000
