Sept. 27, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -
The University of Notre Dame women's tennis team continued play Saturday in the adidas Invitationalat at the Peachtree City Tennis Center. On a day when only singles matches were played, Irish players registered a pair of victories, including freshman Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) upsetting the nation's 69th-ranked player.
Thompson, playing in the das flight, made her collegiate singles debut on Friday by beating Tennessee's Breanna Kray. She followed that up with a 7-6, 6-1 win over Northwestern's Jessica Rush on Saturday morning, gaining her first win over a ranked foe. Thompson then fell in the semifinals to Florida's Boglarka Berecz.
Senior Emily Neighbours (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor School) was the other victorious Irish player. She topped Louisville's Natalie Laszkowski 6-4, 6-4 in das flight consolation play.
Classmate Alicia Salas (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) had a strong showing in the adi flight, eventually bowing out to the top seed, #8 Alexis Gordon, in the semifinals 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
No doubles matches were played on Saturday due to inclement weather. Two Irish doubles teams are in the round of 16 in that draw: Catrina and Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) and the fourth-seeded and 37th-ranked pair of Salas and Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.). No singles players remain in the main draws of either the adi or das flights.
All 10 Notre Dame competitors are slated for final-day action in singles and doubles on Sunday.
adidas Invitational -- Day Three
Singles
adi Flight Quarterfinals
[1] #8 Alexis Gordon (Florida) d. Alicia Salas (ND) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
adi Flight Consolation
Jennifer Chay (TCU) d. Kristina Stastny (ND) 7-5, 6-3
[7] #42 Jessica Rush (Northwestern) d. [5] Caylan Leslie (ND) 3-5, ret.
Sabita Maharaj (Duke) d. Christian Thompson (ND) 6-1, 6-2
das Flight Semifinals
Boglarka Berecz (Florida) d. Catrina Thompson (ND)
das Flight Quarterfinals
Nina Suvak (Florida) d. Lauren Connelly (ND) 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
Berecz (Florida) d. Kelly Nelson (ND) 6-0, 6-0
Catrina Thompson (ND) d. #69 Andrea Yung (Northwestern) 7-6, 6-1
das Flight Consolation
Emily Neighbours (ND) d. Natalie Laszkowski (Louisville) 6-4, 6-4
Christina Gogol (Louisville) d. Emily Neighbours (ND) 6-2, 6-2
Nicole Beck (Wisconsin) d. Liz Donohue (ND) 6-3, 6-0
Note: Seeding in brackets; national ranking listed before player.
