Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Freshman Christian Thompson was up in the third set of her match at No. 2 singles before it was abandoned.

 
No. 23 Notre Dame Loses At No. 9 North Carolina

Irish hold leads in two singles matches before they are abandoned.

March 28, 2004

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The 23rd-ranked University of Notre Dame women's tennis team (8-6) lost 5-0 to #9 North Carolina (14-6) Sunday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The Tar Heels won every match completed, though the Irish were leading in two abandoned singles matches. Notre Dame will return to action next weekend with a pair of home contests, against Marquette at Noon (EST) on Saturday and vs. BIG E AST rival #15 Miami on Sunday at the same time.

North Carolina swept the doubles contests to take a 1-0 lead. The 23rd-ranked team of Aniela Mojzis and Kendall Cline were off the court first with an 8-4 victory over Irish freshman twins Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) at No. 1. Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long clinched the point for the Heels with an 8-3 win over senior Emily Neighbours (Indianpolis, Ind./Park Tudor School) and sophomore Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) at No. 3. Lee Bairos and Kendrick Bunn then beat senior co-captain Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) and sophomore Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) 8-6 at No. 2.

Bunn was first off the court in singles, defeating Stastny 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5. Mojzis, ranked 29th nationally, then posted an upset of 10th-ranked Salas 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 to put the Tar Heels within a point of victory. Anundsen then clinched the win by topping Lauren Connelly 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4.

Long outlasted junior Sarah Jane Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to put UNC up 5-0.

The remaining two matches, at Nos. 2 and 3, saw Notre Dame holding leads when they were abandoned. Catrina Thompson won the first set against Cline in a tiebreaker (7-4) and was tied 3-3 in the second at No. 3, while Christian Thompson led 6-1, 4-6, 3-2 vs. Bairos at No. 2.

The Irish failed to win a point during their two-match swing through the state of North Carolina, after having lost 7-0 to #33 Wake Forest on Saturday.

#9 North Carolina 5, #23 Notre Dame 0

Singles

No. 1: #29 Aniela Mojzis (UNC) def. #10 Alicia Salas (ND) 6-4, 6-1

No. 2: Christian Thompson (ND) led Lee Bairos (UNC) 6-1, 4-6, 3-2, abandoned

No. 3: Catrina Thompson (ND) led Kendall Cline (UNC) 7-6 (7-4), 3-3, abandoned

No. 4: *Sara Anundsen (UNC) def. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-2, 6-3

No. 5: Kendrick Bunn (UNC) def. Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-1, 6-2

No. 6: Jenna Long (UNC) def. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

Order of Finish: 5, 1, 4*, 6

Doubles

No. 1: #23 Mojzis/Cline (UNC) def. Thompson/Thompson (ND) 8-4

No. 2: Bairos/Bunn (UNC) def. L. Connelly/Salas (ND) 8-6

No. 3: *Anundsen/Long (UNC) def. Neighbours//Stastny (ND) 8-3

Order of Finish: 1, 3*, 2

* denotes clinching win; ! denotes clinching win in final match on-court