Vaughan, Notre Dame Silenced by Florida
Nina Vaughan’s long legs, powerful ground strokes and renewed confidence carried her a long way this season at Notre Dame. Vaughan, a sophomore and former Corona del Mar standout who barely played last year, played a major role in the Fighting Irish’s first NCAA sweet 16 appearance in five years.
But Vaughan and her team were swept out of Malibu on Thursday by fourth-ranked Florida, which defeated Notre Dame, 5-0, at Pepperdine in the NCAA Women’s Team Tennis Championships. Vaughan was beaten, 6-2, 6-2, by 36th-ranked Baili Camino, a senior from Miami.
“I played well today, but I didn’t really get the chance to show off the best parts of my game,” said Vaughan, who was 20-9 as Notre Dame’s No. 4 singles player. “I’ve been coming into the net a lot more. But she did a good job of taking my weapons away.”
Vaughan’s biggest weapons are her smooth, flowing ground strokes. They are meant to drive opponents off the court to set up easy volleys. They are not supposed to be sent back across the court at impossible angles and high rates of speed.
“I’m not used to having to hit five winners every point,” Vaughan said. “Usually my power will catch people off-guard. Then I can take short balls out of the air and get to the net. She hit a lot more corners than I’m used to. She was very consistent and aggressive. She was the best player I’ve seen this year.”
After an outstanding high school career, Vaughan found herself on the bench and in pain for much of her freshman year in South Bend. She was trying to work her way into the singles lineup two months into the season when she suffered a stress fracture in her back. From March until June, Vaughan did not pick up a racket.
“I questioned whether I had peaked as a player,” she said. “It was a strange and frustrating year.”
It was also a blessing.
“It gave me time to think about why I was out there,” she said. “I realized how much I loved the game.”
Vaughan stayed in South Bend over the summer, conditioning her body and her mind. She entered the preseason fit and rejuvenated. By January, Vaughan had earned the No. 4 spot.
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Arizona State junior Faye DeVera, a three-time Orange County player of the year from Villa Park High, also had a tough day at the NCAA Championships, losing, 6-3, 6-4, to Duke’s Erica Biro, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla. But the loss wasn’t costly, as 11th-ranked Arizona State advanced to the quarterfinals against Florida with a 5-2 upset of the sixth-ranked Blue Devils.
“Every point was a 13-ball rally,” said DeVera, whose dual match record dropped to 13-8. “I needed to come to the net and force the action. . . . I have to put my loss away. It’s a good feeling just being here. It’s what you play all year for.”
Notes
USC reached the round of eight for the second consecutive season with a 5-2 victory over Louisiana State. Twelfth-ranked USC (18-8) will play second-ranked Georgia, a 5-1 winner over South Alabama, at 11 a.m. in today’s quarterfinal round. . . . UCLA, in the last match of the day, overcame a loss by No. 2-ranked Sara Walker in No. 1 singles and beat Texas, 5-2, to earn a shot at top-ranked Stanford, the defending champion. The Bruins (17-8) and Cardinal (28-0) play at 2 p.m.