After a stellar 2009-10 season, junior Kristy Frilling and 2010 graduate Kali Krisik were recently named to the ITA Collegiate All-Star team as a doubles pair, recognition they earned for finishing last season as the nation’s No. 1 doubles pair.
Frilling and Krisik finished last season 34-3 overall and 25-0 during the dual season.
“It is a testament to the hard work our kids have put in, and it shows that hard work pays off,” Irish coach Jay Louderback said.
Although Louderback noted that Frilling and Krisik were slightly different players, he said that together, they made a great team.
“They were a perfect fit with their game styles on the court,” he said. “[Krisik] was very consistent and made few errors but can still play a power game. [Frilling] is a big hitter who hits many winners but makes more errors.”
Frilling, a junior from Sidney, Ohio, has had success at the collegiate level since her freshman year. She received All-America and Big East honors in her first season and participated in the NCAA tournament in both singles and doubles. Frilling and her 2009 doubles partner, Kelcy Tefft, finished the season as the No. 1 doubles pair in the nation as well.
Her sophomore season was more of the same as she and Krisik dominated the doubles circuit and reached No. 1. As a power player, she creates a distinct advantage for her partner.
“[Frilling] sets her partners up with quite a few easy balls because she hits so hard,” Louderback said.
Krisik has since graduated, but she received her fair share of
honors during her career, as well. In her junior season, she received Big East honors and was named a Big East Academic All-Star and an ITA Scholar Athlete.
What made the two such a successful tandem, according to Louderback, was their chemistry.
“They are both really calm under pressure,” Louderback said. “Kali is more vocal during the match while Kristy keeps her intensity within herself. They have those same personalities off the court as well.”
The relationship they developed on the court grew into a friendship, which in turn made that unique chemistry even better.
“They really enjoyed playing together and have become very close friends off the court,” Louderback said.
This honor for two Notre Dame women’s tennis players is just one more example of the program’s rapid ascension into the premier teams in the nation.
“We have had two [doubles pairs] make the ITA All Star team each of the past two years and it is a testament to the hard work our kids have put in and it shows that hard work pays off,” Louderback said.