The Irish split up this weekend, while three players travelled to the Bronco Invitational in Kalamazoo, Mich., while other Irish players continued play at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Twenty-three teams participated in the Regional Championships, which started Oct. 10 and runs through Tuesday.
No. 35 Irish senior Britney Sanders had a first-round bye as the second seed in the main singles draw and beat junior LokSze Leung of Northwestern 6-0, 6-0 in the second round. Sanders fell to Michigan senior Brooke Bolender 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round.
No. 117 Irish senior Jennifer Kellner received a first-round bye in the singles main draw and defeated Northwestern senior Nida Hamilton 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.
Irish Freshmen Mary Closs and Monica Robinson also competed in the main singles draw for the Irish. Closs advanced to the second round before she lost to Illinois junior Melissa Kopinski, and Robinson made it to the third round.
Kellner and Robinson advanced furthest in the doubles main draw for Notre Dame. The duo defeated freshmen Sandy Niehaus and Gabriella DeSantis of Ohio State 8-6 and juniors Patricia Fargas and RebecaMitrea of Depaul 8-3 on their way to the quarterfinals. Kellner and Robinson lost to Michigan's national No. 3 pairing of junior EminaBektas and Bolender in the quarterfinals by the score of 8-4.
Sanders and Irish junior Molly O'Koniewski lost 8-4 to Kopinski and senior Allison Falkin from Illinois in the third round. The pairing of Irish senior Julie Sabacinski and Closs also lost 8-5 in the third round, falling to Michigan's pairing of sophomore RobitYurovsky and junior Sarah Lee.
Irish junior Katherine White, sophomore Alaina Roberts and sophomore Darby Mountford competed this weekend at the Bronco Invitational, hosted by Western Michigan. The Irish have split up for tournaments this fall to allowe all 12 players on the roster to gain experience during the short fall season before spring competition begins.
White was undefeated in her two singles matches, and won all three of her doubles matches while partnering with both Mountford and Roberts at times. Roberts and Mountford each won one of their two singles matches at the Invitational.
