WOMEN'S TENNIS: Slumping Irish lose second straight to No. 51 Purdue
By COLIN BOYLAN
Sports Writer
In a year characterized by streaky play, the Notre Dame women's tennis team is finding itself losing some ground at a dangerous time.
The 22nd-ranked Irish dropped their second consecutive match Thursday afternoon, losing 5-2 to No. 51 Purdue at the Lafayette Sports Center.
The setback pushes Notre Dame to 10-7 on the season and puts the team in a tight spot as they enter the toughest part of their schedule.
The Irish will return to action Wednesday against Illinois, followed by tough contests against top 25 opponents Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina.
Senior captain Becky Varnum knows the Irish will have to play better than they have in recent matches.
"For some reason, we really haven't been prepared for our matches mentally," said Varnum. "We've lost to some teams that we know we can beat."
Against the Boilermakers, Notre Dame slipped into an early hole by losing the doubles point. Purdue picked up victories against Notre Dame's top two doubles teams to secure the opening edge. Meanwhile, Alicia Salas and Sarah Jane Connelly continued their impressive doubles showing by earning an 8-1 win over the Boilermaker tandem of Melissa Iqbal and Lara Burgarello.
Their teammates were not able to build on that momentum in the singles competition as Purdue used a pair of upset victories over ranked Notre Dame players to maintain the upper hand.
Purdue's Gretchen Haynor got the hosts rolling early with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles over senior Nina Vaughan.
Moments later, Iqbal gave the Boilermakers a 3-0 match lead when she won 7-5, 6-2 over No. 75-ranked Becky Varnum, 7-5, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
Notre Dame earned its first point when Lindsey Green rolled past Melissa Woods, 6-4, 6-3.
However, Purdue closed out the match when Shawn Zuccarini fought through a first-set tiebreak and defeated junior Katie Cunha, 7-6, 6-1 at No. 5 singles.
After the match was decided, Connelly lost a three-set super tiebreak decision at No. 6 singles to Amy Walgenbach, 7-6, 1-6, 1-0 (10-6).
Salas also went three sets at No. 4 singles, coming out on top of Burgarello, 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) to give the Irish their other point in the match.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Varnum is not worried about the team coming out flat against future highly-ranked opponents.
"We're excited about playing some great teams in the upcoming weeks. I think can improve on our recent play," she said. "Sticking together as a team and believing in our abilities will be the key."
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 22, 2002
