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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Irish take two of three over weekend to finish regular season

Notre Dame went 2-1 this weekend, grabbing wins over Virginia Tech and Norfolk State while also falling on the road to No. 13 Virginia.

The Irish (12-12, 5-9 ACC) defeated the Hokies (14-9, 7-7 ACC) in a conference match Friday afternoon at Courtney Tennis Center by a score of 4-3. The match was the final home tilt for the four seniors on Notre Dame's roster. Then, the Irish traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sunday morning and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Cavaliers (14-9, 9-5 ACC). The team then hopped on the bus and drove to nearby Norfolk, Virginia, where the Irish shut out the Spartans (9-11, 6-0 MEAC), 7-0, that afternoon in their last match of the regular season.

On Friday, Notre Dame split the six singles matches with the Hokies. Sophomore Brooke Broda won her first set, 6-2, before coming up just short of winning the second set, falling 7-6(4). It mattered little, however, as Broda was able to win the match in the third and deciding set, 6-3, on court No. 5. On court No. 2, junior Monica Robinson emerged victorious in her match, 6-4, 6-3. On court No. 1, senior Quinn Gleason also won in straight sets by the same score, 6-4, 6-3. The rest of the singles matches belonged to the Hokies. Sophomore Allison Miller won her first set, 6-2, before losing the next two sets, 6-4, 6-4, on court No. 3. On court No. 6, junior Jane Fennelly lost the first set, 6-0, before bouncing back to win the second set, 6-4. Fennelly came up just short in the deciding third set, falling 7-6(4). The other Irish singles loss belonged to junior Mary Closs, who lost in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, on court No. 4.
Irish junior Monica Robinson serves during Notre Dame’s 6-1 win over Indiana on Feb. 20 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Irish junior Monica Robinson serves during Notre Dame’s 6-1 win over Indiana on Feb. 20 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The Irish dominated the doubles competition, however. The doubles team of Gleason and Robinson won 6-4 on court No. 1, while senior Julie Vrabel and Closs emerged victorious, 7-5, on court No. 2. On court No. 3, Broda and Miller were tied, 4-4, before the match was discontinued after the Irish had clinched the doubles point. Irish head coach Jay Louderback said the practices his team had before the Virginia Tech match put his team in the right mindset going into the weekend. He also said he was pleased with his team’s performance in the Virginia match. “We beat a very good Virginia Tech team on Friday,” Louderback said. “The credit for that win goes to our student-athletes and the positive practices we had leading up to the match. We also played well in the loss at Virginia.” In Sunday's morning match between the Irish and Cavaliers, Broda won her match, 6-2, 6-4, on court No. 5. Miller also emerged victorious on court No. 3, 7-5, 6-4. Gleason, Closs, Fennelly and Robinson did not have the same success as their two teammates, however. On court No. 1, Gleason was bested, 6-1, 6-3. Closs lost her match in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, on court No. 4. Fennelly was met with the same fate on court No. 6, losing 7-5, 6-3. Robinson fell as well, 6-1, 6-2, on court No. 2. In the doubles matches, Broda and Miller were winning 5-4 on court No. 3 when the match was discontinued after the Cavaliers had secured the point. The duos of Gleason and Robinson and Closs and Vrabel were both bested by a score of 6-3 on courts No. 1 and 2, respectively. Later that afternoon against Norfolk State, Notre Dame dominated from start to finish in both the singles and doubles competition. Broda and Fennelly shut out their opponents 6-0, 6-0 on courts No. 4 and 5, respectively. Closs swept her opponent 6-1, 6-1 on court No. 3. On court No. 1, Gleason won 6-1, 6-0, followed by a 6-2, 6-1 victory by Miller on court No. 2. Freshman Rachel Chong emerged victorious as well on court No. 6, 6-2, 6-2. In the doubles competition, the duo of Gleason and Fennelly won, 6-2, on court No. 1 and was followed by Broda and Miller emerging victorious, 6-2, on court No. 2. Vrabel and Chong finished off the team sweep by winning 6-4 on court No. 3. This week, Notre Dame will travel to Cary, North Carolina, to play in the ACC championships at Cary Tennis Center. The Irish will be the No. 11 seed in the tournament and will take on No. 14-seeded Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. Wednesday.