Notre Dame women’s tennis enjoyed a strong weekend, going 2-0 in home contests against Syracuse and Boston College.
The winning streak was the latest high in an up-and-down season for the Irish. With two consecutive wins, this is now the eighth time this season Notre Dame has piled up multiple wins or losses.
The wins come at an important time for an Irish team hoping to make an NCAA tournament push. Notre Dame hasn’t been to the big dance since 2017, and this year might be its best chance since.
The Irish entered the weekend ranked 27th nationally. Following a pair of wins, that ranking should rise further in the next update on Tuesday. Notre Dame will also now enter the ACC tournament with momentum in hand, as the two wins broke a streak of back-to-back losses endured on the team’s final road swing of the season in Florida.
In the ACC tournament, Notre Dame will square off against ninth-seeded Wake Forest in the first round. The matchup is an ideal one for the Irish, who swept the Demon Deacons 7-0 in the teams’ previous showdown in March. The Demon Deacons are the only team the Irish swept in conference play all season.
In Cary, Notre Dame will likely lean on its doubles unit to help the team gather momentum early. Earning the doubles point against both Syracuse and Boston College, the Irish pushed their streak of victory in the doubles portion of matches to six consecutive contests.
The pairing of sophomore Carrie Beckman and junior Julia Andreach has been especially impressive, currently ranked 41st in the nation.
Junior Yashna Yellayi and freshman Rylie Hanford have also excelled in the doubles department for the Irish as of late. The pairing currently ranks 76th nationally and hasn’t lost a matchup since a late-March contest against Louisville.
Notre Dame women’s tennis will return to action Thursday for the opening round of the ACC tournament. Their matchup against Wake Forest is set for a 10 a.m. start time. Should the Irish emerge victorious, they’ll face a showdown with top-seeded North Carolina with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
