Irish senior Kristy Frilling began the All-American championship tournament as the No. 3 seed, but was eliminated from the main draw in the first round Thursday in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Frilling's match against Baylor senior SonaNovakova (6-4, 5-7, 4-6) lasted over three hours, with Frilling falling in the first set, stealing the second and — after a long battle — losing the final set.
"I felt okay, but definitely had opportunities," Frilling said.
Frilling had previously played Novakova in a dual match against Baylor on Mar. 6 and won in three sets.
Frilling's doubles partner senior Shannon Mathews was eliminated Tuesday in the second round of the qualifiers after falling to South Carolina senior DijanaStojic.
Even though both Frilling and Mathews have been eliminated from the individual play, they will play in the doubles bracket Friday against a doubles pair from Tennessee. The Irish had a bye in the first round, but Tennessee has already played one match, defeating UCLA's sophomore Courtney Dolehide and junior Pamela Montez.
"Since it's a pro set tomorrow it is important for us to come out strong from the beginning of the match," Mathews said. "We are looking for a high percentage of first serves as well as aggressive play at the net."
This match will mark the first time this season that the duo will play together in a competition.
"We're just looking forward to the match and trying to come out strong," Frilling said.
The two teammates are the only members of the Irish team who qualified for the tournament.
Frilling and Mathews are in action Friday against Tennessee's sophomore Brynn Boren and freshman Sarah Toti in the second round of the doubles play.
Contact Katie Heit at kheit@nd.edu
