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South Bend takes on vital role of sixth man

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

A few weeks ago, a cookie cake at the Mishawaka Meijer caught my eye. It was situated on a shelf with the other generic decorated cakes that said "Happy Birthday," or just contained a few flowers.  This one, right in the middle of the display, was decorated with an orange-frosting basketball. In blue letters, it read:

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ND Women's Tennis: Notre Dame looking to rebound outdoors

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

The No.4 Irish look to rebound as they start their stateside outdoor schedule at No.17 Vanderbilt after losing to then-No.7 Duke on outdoor courts in Puerto Rico over Spring Break. Vanderbilt (7-4) is coming off of a loss to Georgia at home March 14. Irish coach Jay Louderback said he believes Vanderbilt will challenge his squad as they adjust to the outdoor schedule. "They lost to Georgia, but they also beat a ranked team in Tennessee," Louderback said. "With them, you're talking about a team that's coming off a bunch of close matches that they lost. They're always a top-20 team that plays well and more importantly plays well outside." The Irish (12-2) split two games in Puerto Rico over the break, defeating William and Mary 5-2 and losing to Duke by the same score. After playing their entire schedule to this point on indoor courts, the Irish are still adjusting to the outdoor slate and the match against Vanderbilt will be a big test as they look to improve. "It's big playing against a good team outdoors," Louderback said. "Starting off we are 1-1 outdoors, and we didn't really play that well against Duke. We need to show that we can be a good outdoor team." Sophomore Kristy Frilling, who has led the Irish with a 12-2 mark at No. 1 singles and holds a No. 14 national ranking, will face off against a tough opponent in fellow sophomore No. 24 Jasmine Wu. However, it is likely the doubles that will set the tone for the match. While the team of Frilling and senior Kali Krisik has been flawless all season, the Nos. 2 and 3 doubles teams will need to elevate their play and secure the doubles point. "On the road it's important to get up in the doubles," Louderback said. "Our first team has been playing real well, but we've got to get our second and third teams a little more consistent." The Irish will square off against the Commodores at the Brownlee O. Curry Tennis Center in Nashville today at 2:30 p.m. 

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ND Softball: Irish have multi-hit effort

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

The Irish hit their way to an easy 13-4 win over Western Michigan Thursday as sophomore Kristina Wright led with four of the team's 17 hits, including a home run. Five Notre Dame players recorded multi-hit efforts for the day, including senior infielder Christine Lux's grand slam. Lux also had a game-high five RBIs for the day while Wright added two runs and three RBIs. "She had the bases loaded and hit a grand slam for our first four runs of the game," Irish assistant coach Kris Ganeff said. "From there, we thought we had the game under control." And they did. Notre Dame (17-5) dominated from both the plate and the mound. Besides Wright and Lux's performances, junior Sadie Pitzenberger, senior Heather Johnson and sophomore Alexa Maldonado each had at least two hits against the Broncos. Junior Katie Fleury had two RBIs and was one of four Irish players to score twice. "Each of the hitters did what we needed them to do," Ganeff said. "Kristina Wright was on fire tonight." Seven of Notre Dame's runs came in the fourth inning of the six-inning contest. The Broncos (8-5) trailed the Irish 11-0 going into the bottom of the fourth but got one run in that inning, adding three more in the fifth. Western Michigan's Gracie Barstad and Kayla Houston each had two RBI. Junior Jody Valdivia (13-2) kept the strikeouts coming from the mound with 11 and giving up only one earned run on three hits in 5.2 innings. She had a much better day than the three Western Michigan pitchers, none of whom gave up fewer than two earned runs. The Broncos Meredith Whitney (2-4) gave up seven earned runs and seven hits in three innings. Ganeff felt that the Irish went into the contest with a positive mindset that definitely helped in gaining their fourth straight win. "I think we came out there with a great mentality," Ganeff said. "On defensive we played solidly. Jody did a great job with 10 strikeouts. Our hitters did a good job against all three pitchers." Notre Dame saw this game as giving it a strong leap into the second half of their season as they draw closer and closer to the Big East tournament. "This game started the second phase of the season," Ganeff said. "It set the tone for what we expect to happen in the rest of the season up through the Big East Tournament." The Irish will open their home season Tuesday against Eastern Michigan with a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. 

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Irish focused on Vikings

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

The postseason is about to begin for the No. 7 Irish, who earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and are set to take on No. 15 seed Cleveland State on their home turf in the Purcell Pavilion.

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SMC Tennis: Belles team eager to take revenge Saturday

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

After a successful 4-1 trip over Spring Break, the Belles will take to the court again Saturday, traveling across the state to take on Indiana Wesleyan. Saint Mary's (6-2) is looking to avenge last year's loss to the Wildcats. "It can be slightly intimidating playing a team that has beat us previously, but I think everyone feels very confident that we have improved immensely since last year," top singles player Jillian Hurley said. "I think if everyone can go into their matches with a positive attitude and a strong drive to win then who beat whom last year won't matter." Belles coach Dave Campbell said his team will come out with a chip on its shoulder, using the loss from last year as motivation. "We need to use that as motivation and expect to play our best against them," he said. The team will also look to build off the momentum from Spring Break. The team traveled to Orlando, Fla., and performed at a high level throughout the trip. The Belles defeated Wartburg, 8-1, St. Francis, 9-0, Ursinus, 9-0 and Carthage 5-4. Even their one loss was close, falling 5-4 to a different Wesleyan. "I think overall the team is feeling good about our wins over Spring Break. Winning the majority of our matches definitely boosted our confidence going into our regular season," Hurley said. "The momentum is definitely going to carry over as we head towards our match this Saturday." Now the team will look to take their progress a step further. "I think we go into every match expecting to succeed, and this match is no different. However, because we did so well over Spring Break, our expectations to do well in this match are even higher," she said. The Belles play on the court has been helped by their bonding off the court. Thanks in large part to the Orlando trip, the girls are gelling as a team at the right time. Their play and team chemistry on the court is noticably improving as a result. "I think as a team we are not only improving on the court, but also off of the court. Our team really bonded over Spring Break, which has affected our overall team spirit and drive to succeed," Hurley said. Saint Mary's will face Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind., Saturday in an 11 a.m. match.  

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Women's Lacrosse: Irish head to Boston for first trip since 2006

By The Observer · Friday, March 19, 2010

The season is young, but the No. 9 Irish have already experienced their fair share of adversity. After a disappointing loss to No. 16 Dartmouth and a come-from-behind 14-12 victory over California, the Irish (4-1) will look to build a winning streak against No. 11 Boston University Saturday. This will be the first trip to Boston for the Irish since they made the Final Four in 2006, when they lost to Dartmouth. The unfamiliar Terriers (4-2) should prove to be a formidable opponent for the Irish. They already have wins over Massachusetts, Brown, William & Mary and Harvard. "[Boston] is a solid team all around," Irish coach Tracy Coyne said. "I expect and tough and physical game." Although the matchup is a nonconference, non-regional game, showdowns with nationally-ranked opponents such as the Terriers are crucial not only for seeding teams come NCAA Tournament time but also for building steam leading into conference play. "This game is an opportunity to prove to ourselves what we can accomplish this season," Coyne said. "It's going to be an exciting matchup." The Irish will need to improve upon areas that have caused them trouble the last two games in order to beat the Terriers. Coyne said she was slightly disappointed with the play of the attack during the games against Dartmouth and California. But those possible weaknesses have been the focus this week in preparation for Saturday's game. "Things came to light in the game against California, mainly that we need to work on our attack," Coyne said. "So that is what we've been focused on." In their wins, the Terriers have averaged nearly 12 goals per game, but in their two losses they have scored only slightly more than five. If the Irish maintain strong defensive performances the way they have so far this season, the goals will come on offense and a victory should follow. The Irish have continually gotten contributions from sophomore attack Maggie Tamasitis, junior midfield Shaylyn Blaney and senior attack Gina Scioscia, but Coyne will need more diversity than those three in the scoring department. In what should be a high scoring affair, the Irish will face off against Boston University Saturday at 12 p.m. at Nickerson Stadium in Boston. 

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Baseball: Senior Martin leads offense

By The Observer · Thursday, March 18, 2010

The art of hitting can take years, even decades to perfect. Plate discipline, a consistent approach and balance can even elude professionals from time to time. But if the season ended today, Casey Martin could make a pretty good case for having mastered his craft.

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ND Women's Golf: ND finishes ahead of two top-25 opponents

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Notre Dame continued to improve its game at the LSU Tiger/Wave Classic at English Turn Golf and Country Club in Louisiana over the weekend.  The Irish finished 13th in a field that included many of the country's most elite programs, including tournament winner No. 3 Auburn.

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Fencing: ND takes Midwest Regional

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Notre Dame dominated the Midwest Regional over the weekend to bring its record to 68-0 for the combined men's and women's teams. The performance allowed the top-ranked Irish to send the maximum-allotted 12 fencers to the national tournament.

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SMC Golf: Saint Mary's ties for second in N.C.

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 17, 2010

No. 3 Saint Mary's traveled to warm Fayetteville, N.C., to open its spring slate with a highly competitive meet on Friday. The Belles finished tied for second with familiar MIAA opponent No. 10 Olivet, falling to No. 1 Methodist on its home course.

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