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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Notre Dame follows up loss to No. 20 Virginia with win over struggling Virginia Tech squad

Last weekend, the Irish embarked on a two game road trip against No. 20 Virginia and Virginia Tech. After a close 5-2 loss against the Cavaliers (16-5, 8-4 ACC), Notre Dame (11-11, 4-9) rebounded against the Hokies (8-13, 2-10) with a 5-2 victory.

The match against the Cavaliers, who held an 11-2 record when playing at home and had defeated four out of their last five opponents, began as the Irish earned the doubles point with the pair of graduate student Brooke Broda and junior Bess Waldram claiming a 6-2 victory, while sophomore Ally Bojczuk and freshman Zoe Taylor won their match 6-4. Virginia was then able to halt Notre Dame’s momentum by winning three straight singles matches. Freshman Sofia Munera outlasted Bess Waldram in the third set, while junior Chloe Gullickson gave the Cavaliers a 2-1 lead by defeating Brooke Broda in two sets. Junior Hunter Bleser built on the lead with a three-set victory over Zoe Taylor; however, sophomore Cameron Corse cut the Notre Dame’s deficit to one by beating sophomore Vivian Glozman. In one of the fiercest battles of the afternoon, Junior Zoe Spence lost to No. 31 Meghan Kelley in three sets. Freshman Amber O’Dell gave Virginia its fifth point by edging out Bojczuk in the third set.

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Michelle Mehelas | The Observer
Irish sophomore Ally Bojczuk anticipates a return in a home match against Bowling Green on Jan. 23.


Notre Dame then traveled to Blacksburg and earned a valuable win over an ACC opponent. The Hokies had just defeated Louisville 4-3 at home and was looking to build on the momentum going into the match.

After losing the first doubles match, the Irish stormed back and took the doubles point with strong performances by Corse, Spence, Broda and Waldram. Brooke Broda improved to 12-7 in singles matches when she defeated sophomore Elizabet Danailova 6-1, 6-1. The Irish took a commanding 4-0 lead behind Zoe Spence’s two-set victory over junior Natalie Novotna and Cameron Corse’s win against sophomore Nika Kozar. The Hokies responded with a win of their own, as Bess Waldram fell to freshman Rita Pinto in the third set. Sophomore Nina Sorkin gave Virginia Tech another three-set victory as she beat freshman Zoe Taylor. Ally Bojczuk ended the team’s day on a strong note by defeating freshman Samantha Gillas in another hard fought three-set match.

Notre Dame’s regular season concludes this Friday at 3:30 p.m. as the Irish will take on a Boston College team ranked No. 41 in the nation. The Eagles (15-7, 5-7) have won four-straight matches, but have only been able to win two road games on the season. Notre Dame will look to capture its eighth home victory and close out the season emphatically before the start of the conference tournament.