Dec. 19, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -
A total of nine Notre Dame men and women's tennis players and four doubles teams have been ranked in the Midwest Region, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced recently.
The Irish women had six players ranked in the top 20 for the second consecutive season. Notre Dame was the only school in the region to not only have six players ranked in the top 20, but also the only school to have five players in the top 10. In fact, Northwestern is the only other school to have multiple players in the top 10 and the Wildcats have only three.
Sophomore #45 Cosmina Ciobanu (Brea, CA/Troy) was the highest rated player closing the fall season at No. 5. Ciobanu went 11-4 in the fall, captured the Wolverine Classic and reached the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championship. She now stands 47-9 for her career. Senior #91 Brook Buck (Yukon, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) is ranked No. 6 after posting a 4-4 mark in the fall. She was the lone Irish player to participate in the ITA All-American Championships and now stands 68-31 for her career.
After her ITA Midwest Regional Championship quarterfinal appearance, junior Katie Potts (Brookfield, WI/Divine Savior Holy Angels) was ranked No. 8. Potts, who suffered through an injury-plagued year in 2006-07, went 7-1 in the fall and now stands 52-15 for her career.
A pair of Irish sophomores close out the top 10. #110 Colleen Rielley (Overland Park, KS/Bishop Miege), winner of the 2006 ITA Midwest Regional Championship, garnered the No. 9 ranking and Kali Krisik (Arkansas City, KS/Arkansas City) was listed No. 10. Rielley went 6-3 in the fall (36-14 in her career), while Krisik went 9-2 (25-7 in her career) and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 ITA Midwest Regional Championship.
Junior #125
Kelcy Tefft (Enid, OK/Chisholm) closed out the Notre Dame contingent. She was rated No. 20 for the second straight season. Tefft posted a 4-3 mark in the fall, improving her career record to 58-17.
The three Notre Dame teams of Buck and Tefft, Krisik and Rielley and Ciobanu and Kristen Rafael (Grand Prairie, TX/Nolan Catholic) were all ranked in the top 15 of doubles. Buck and Tefft, champions of the ITA Midwest Regional and ITA National Indoor, were ranked in the top spot, while Krisik and Rielley were at No. 4. Ciobanu and Rafael were ranked No. 14.
The Irish men were also littered throughout the top 30 in singles. Junior Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) was the top-ranked Irish player at No. 6 after a breakthrough fall season. Helgeson went 13-1, 4-1 against nationally ranked opponents, reached the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championship and upended the nation's second ranked player along the way. He improved his career record to 67-19.
Senior Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, NE/Millard North) is the other Irish player ranked inside the top 10. He is listed at No. 8. He went 8-5 this fall, including a 2-3 mark against ranked opponents. Parbhu captured seven of his last 10 matches and improved to 102-32 for his career. He is the ninth Irish men's tennis player to ever surpass 100 career victories. Parbhu currently ranks seventh all-time in victories at Notre Dame.
Freshman David Anderson (Sandwich, MA/Sandwich) was the third and final Notre Dame men's player ranked. He stands at No. 27 after recording a 9-4 mark in the fall.
Parbhu and fellow senior Andrew Roth (Houston, TX/Tenney School) were the lone Irish doubles team ranked. They finished the fall with a 3-2 mark and were listed No. 11.
Each Notre Dame team will open their respective spring seasons in the middle of January. The Irish women travel to Louisville for a match with the Cardinals on Jan. 20 at noon (EST). The men open the same day at the Eck Tennis Pavilion against Penn State. Former Irish assistant Todd Doebler coaches the Nittany Lions. First-serve is scheduled for noon (EST).
MEN
Singles
1. Ryan Rowe Illinois
2. Bryan Koniecko Ohio State
3. Justin Kronauge Ohio State
4. Matko Maravic Michigan
5. Steven Moneke Ohio State
6. Brett Helgeson Notre Dame
7. Raoul Schwark Minnesota
8. Sheeva Parbhu Notre Dame
9. Thomas Richter Indiana
10. Nick Rinks Michigan State
27. David Anderson Notre Dame
Doubles Rank
1. Drew Eberly Justin Kronauge Ohio State
2. Ryan Rowe Billy Heiser Illinois
3. Mike Sroczynski Jason Jung Michigan
4. Adam Monich Nick Rinks Michigan State
5. Bryan Koniecko Steven Moneke Ohio State
6. Nolan Polley Moritz Baumann Wisconsin
7. Jeremy Sonkin Luke Rassow-Kantor Wisconsin
8. J.P. Ritchie Bart van Monsjou Iowa
9. Bryan Norville Alex Birchmeier Western Michigan
10. Mike O'Connell Matt Allare Ohio State
11. Sheeva Parbhu Andrew Roth Notre Dame
WOMEN
Singles
1. Maria Mosolova Northwestern
2. Georgia Rose Northwestern
3. Samantha Murray Northwestern
4. Jennifer Migan Indiana State
5. Cosmina Ciobanu Notre Dame
6. Brook Buck Notre Dame
7. Lauren Lui Northwestern
8. Katie Potts Notre Dame
9. Colleen Reilly Notre Dame
10. Kali Krisik Notre Dame
20. Kelcy Tefft Notre Dame
Doubles Rank
1. Brook Buck Kelcy Tefft Notre Dame
2. Lauren Lui Georgia Rose Northwestern
3. Angela Dispastina Christina Keesey Ohio State
4. Kali Krisik Colleen Reilly Notre Dame
5. Alexis Conill Maria Mosolova Northwestern
6. Erin Clark Maria Guerrerio Indiana
7. Chisako Sugiyama Whitney Taney Michigan
8. Samantha Murray Suzie Matzenauer Northwestern
9. Kerstin Pahl Noriko Surata Western Michigan
10. Nazlie Ghazal Keri Robison Northwestern
11. Alexis Dorr Jacqueline Lee Iowa
12. Gergana Ganeva Dunja Antunovic DePaul
13. Megan Fudge Leigh Finnegan Illinois
14. Cosmina Ciobanu Kristen Rafeal Notre Dame
Alessandra Ferrazi Karina Chiarelli Minnesota
-- ND --
