Under coach Jay Louderback, Notre Dame has become a national power, consistently ranked in the national top 10 and a threat each year to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, No. 9 Notre Dame heads to Louisville to take part in its first dual match of the season.
But this spring, the Irish will be without Catrina and Christian Thompson, one of the most successful doubles teams in Notre Dame history. To replace the Thompsons, Notre Dame has another formidable duo - senior Brook Buck and junior Kelcy Tefft, who captured the ITA National Indoor Championship in November and are ranked No. 3 to begin the season.
On the singles side, the Irish have significant talent, with five netters ranked in the top-100 to begin the season. Only three other teams in the country can claim this accomplishment. Sophomore Cosmina Ciobanu, at No. 62, is the highest ranked of the group and is coming off a freshman campaign in which she went 36-5 - including an astounding 26-1 record in dual meets, mostly playing from the No. 5 slot.
Buck sits just behind Ciobanu at No. 64. Buck had an impressive 14-1 dual match record but was sidelined with an injury for a portion of last season. Rounding out Notre Dame's representation in the rankings are No. 82 junior Katie Potts, No. 88 sophomore Colleen Rielley and No. 89 Kali Krisik.
