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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

Irish sweep in weekend doubleheader

The Irish completed their doubleheader weekend with a 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh and a 6-1 victory over Bowling Green at home.

Having dropping two straight after starting the season undefeated, Notre Dame (6-2, 1-1 ACC) has now bounced back to win four in a row. Additionally, with its wins this past weekend, the program is unbeaten in seven matches with Pittsburgh and has improved to an 8-0 all-time mark against Bowling Green.

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Kathryne Robinson | The Observer
Irish junior Rachel Chong prepares for a serve during Notre Dame's 4-0 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 24 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.


During the ACC match up against Pittsburgh (5-3, 0-2 ACC), Notre Dame dropped the first doubles match but won the next two to claim the point, as the duo of freshman Cameron Corse and sophomore Zoe Spence as well as team of junior Rachel Chong and sophomore Bess Waldram won their matches at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. The Irish also won singles play behind victorious efforts by seniors Brooke Broda and Allison Miller and freshman Ally Bojczuk, while the other three singles matches went unfinished — though all featured Irish leads on the scoreboard — after Notre Dame locked up the win.

“I thought we matched up well against [Pittsburgh],” Irish head coach Jay Louderback said. “Pitt was a big match because it was an ACC match. We were tied in doubles, and then we relaxed after our two wins and only needed three singles to win. We played really when it came to singles, the first set was close 3-3, and then all of them pulled away and we won 6-3.”

In the second half of the doubleheader against Bowling Green (6-3, 0-0 MAC), the Irish took the victory despite losing at No. 1 singles, as Miller, Corse, Spence, Bojczuk and freshman Caroline Dunleavy all pulled away with victories in their singles matches. Corse and Spence won at No. 2 doubles and Chong and Waldram won at No. 3 doubles to clinch the point in that portion of the match as well.

“Bowling Green is a very talented and athletic group,” Louderback said. “We had another set of tight doubles matches, and our No. 3 doubles won the last one with a tight 7-5. We felt good about going into it. Bowling Green’s No. 1 singles won, [junior] Paula Comella, and she went on with [sophomore Marharita-Sophia] Tavpash to beat Broda and Miller in doubles. But we lost to her in doubles in two very close sets.”

Wrapping up the weekend with two successful matches, the Irish will have a tough schedule next weekend with a two matches in two days.

“We are playing Iowa next Saturday at home, and then we will play at Purdue the day after,” Louderback said. “We won’t get to Purdue until Sunday morning, in which we usually like to get there and hit the day before. We have had a lot of ACC matches with a home and then a road match, or the other way around. It’s the first time this year we’ve had this fast turnaround. The kids are in good physical shape, and conditioning will be a big factor in the doubleheaders.”