Women's Tennis Advances to BIG EAST Semifinals

The Irish take down West Virginia, 4-0.

April 25, 1998

MIAMI, Fla. - The University of Notre Dame men's and women's tennis teams both advanced to the finals of the BIG EAST Championship with identical 4-0 wins over West Virginia. Both teams will play against Miami in the finals tomorrow as the women's team pursues its third-straight BIG EAST title and the men look for their second in three years.

Both the men's and women's teams went out to 1-0 leads on Saturday by winning the doubles point.

In the men's match against the Mountaineers, Ryan Sachire won at No. 1 singles for the Irish with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Mike Dektas. Matt Horsley and Eric Enloe also won in singles before the match was suspended.

The women's team won their match with singles wins from Tiffany Gates, Kelly Zalinksi and Kelley Olson.

Men's Semifinals
Notre Dame 4, West Virginia 0

Singles
Ryan Sachire (N) def. Mike Dektas, 6-1, 6-2; 
Brian Patterson (N) vs. Ryan Shaffer, susp.; 
Dan Rothschild (N) vs. Ben Jacobs, susp.; 
Matt Horlsey (N) def. Jimmie Kent, 6-2, 6-0; 
Eric Enloe (N) def. Nate Crichton, 6-1, 6-0; 
Andy Warford (N) vs. Walter Samora, susp.

Doubles (most doubles points is worth one match point)
Pietrowski and Patterson (N) def. Jacobs and Samora, 8-4; 
Rothschild and Vijay Freeman (N) vs. Dektas and Shaffer, susp.; 
Horsley and Sachire (N) def. Kent and Tatishvilli, 8-3.

Women's Semifinals
Notre Dame 4, West Virginia 0

Singles
Jennifer Hall (N) vs. Christina Walker, susp.; 
Michelle Dasso (N) vs. Jodi Firestone, susp.; 
Marisa Velasco (N) vs. Meghan Cornwall, susp.; 
Tiffany Gates (N) def. Ellie Earles, 6-0, 6-0; 
Kelly Zalinski (N) def. Andrea Pintaric, 6-2, 6-0; 
Kelley Olson (N) def. Amy Workman, 6-1, 6-4.

Doubles (most doubles points is worth one match point)
Gates and Hall (N) vs. Walker and Firestone, susp.; 
Dasso and Velasco (N) def. Cornwall and Pintaric, 8-4; 
Olson and Zalinski (N) def. Earles and Natasha Randmass, 8-2.