Feb. 3, 2007
MADISON, Wis. -- Northwestern's run at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships ended Saturday night at the hands of the fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 4-3. Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day), Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England/Altrincham Grammar) and Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) all won singles matches.
The Wildcats fall to 4-1 this season while Notre Dame improves to 5-0.
Notre Dame captured the doubles point -- the first time the 'Cats did not take the first point this season -- with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. The fifth-ranked team of Buck and Tefft downed Murray and Lauren Lui (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid), 9-7. At No. 3, Keri Robison (Decatur, Ill./Keystone National) and Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calfi./Chaparral) fell to the Midwest region's sixth-ranked duo of Ciobanu and Krisik, 8-5.
The No. 1 match between 11th-ranked Catrina and Christian Thompson and the 'Cats 30th-ranked pair of Prousis and Rose was not finished with the Wildcats up 7-6, but the doubles point already clinched.
The Irish took a 2-0 lead when Cosmina Ciobanu topped Suzie Matzenauer (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine), 6-1, 6-1.
Prousis closed the gap to 2-1 by taking down Christian Thompson in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Notre Dame kept a two-point advantage when Kelcy Tefft downed Lui at No. 4 singles in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
The 'Cats came right back and close to within one when Rose took down 41st-ranked Catrina Thompson at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-4.
Murray tied the match at 3-3 when she defeated Colleen Rielley at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. For the second-straight night, the dual came down to Ghazal against Notre Dame's Brooke Buck at No. 6
The sophomore held a 6-5 lead in the second set after dropping the first set, 7-6. Buck managed to knot the set at 6-6 and win the tiebreaker to give the Irish the match.
The 'Cats return to action Saturday when they head back to Madison to take on the Badgers in their Big Ten opener. Match time is noon.