March 26, 2016
By Joanne Norell
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team could not overcome North Carolina’s stacked lineup Saturday, falling to the No. 4 Tar Heels in an Atlantic Coast Conference contest at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
The Tar Heels (19-2, 7-0 ACC) won the doubles point with speedy wins on Courts 1 and 2. The top-ranked doubles duo of Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay defeated No. 45 senior Quinn Gleason and junior Monica Robinson 6-1 at the No. 1 slot, while Kate Vialle and Jessie Aney defeated senior Julie Vrabel and junior Mary Closs 6-2 at No. 2 to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead.
UNC went ahead 2-0 as Robinson retired after on set on the No. 2 singles court, but Closs gave the Irish a 7-5, 6-0 win over Vialle on Court 4 to widen the margin. The No. 53-ranked Aney defeated Miller 6-1, 6-1 on Court 3, and the Tar Heels clinched the victory as No. 1 Carter defeated No. 45 Gleason 6-0, 6-4 on Court 1.
Sophomore Brooke Broda bounced back from her first loss of the dual season Thursday, defeating Chloe Ouellet-Pizer 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5 to give the Irish their final point.
The Tar Heels closed out the win as Marika Akkerman defeated Jane Fennelly 6-2, 7-5 on Court 6.
The Irish (9-8, 3-5 ACC) will return home next weekend to welcome Florida State on Friday before returning to North Carolina to face Duke in Durham on Sunday.
No. 4 North Carolina 5, No. 42 Notre Dame 2
1. No. 1 Hayley Carter (UNC) def. No. 45 Quinn Gleason (ND) 6-0, 6-4
2. No. 29 Whitney Kay (UNC) def. No. 61 Monica Robinson (ND) 6-3, ret.
3. No. 53 Jessie Aney (UNC) def. Allison Miller (ND) 6-1, 6-1
4. Mary Closs (ND) def. Kate Vialle (UNC) 7-5, 6-0
5. Brooke Broda (ND) def. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) 6-3, 6-3
6. Marika Akkerman (UNC) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 6-2, 7-5
DOUBLES
1. No. 1 Hayley Carter / Whitney Kay (UNC) def. No. 32 Quinn Gleason / Monica Robinson (ND) 6-1
2. Kate Vialle / Jessie Aney (UNC) def. Mary Closs / Julie Vrabel (ND) 6-2
3. Allison Miller / Brooke Broda (ND) vs. Ashley Dai / Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) 2-5, unfinished
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.