April 17, 2016
By Joanne Norell
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team fell in its final match of the regular season Sunday, dropping a 5-2 decision to No. 13 Virginia at the Snyder Tennis Complex.
The Cavaliers (14-9, 9-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) snatched the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 2. At No. 1, the 22nd-ranked Cavalier duo of Danielle Collins and Meghan Kelley defeated No. 32 Irish senior Quinn Gleason and junior Monica Robinson 6-3. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Stephanie Nauta and Cassie Mercer defeated junior Mary Closs and senior Julie Vrabel 6-3 at No. 2 to shore up the point.
Virginia was similarly efficient in singles, winning two quick matches before eventually taking four of the six matches. Fifteenth-ranked Julia Elbaba gave the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 81 Robinson on Court 1, while the second-ranked Collins upended No. 50 Gleason 6-1, 6-3 on Court 1.
Sophomore Brooke Broda gave the Irish their first point with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Erica Susi at the No. 5 slot, improving her season record to 18-1 and current win streak to seven.
Irish sophomore Allison Miller pulled the Irish back within 3-2 with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 78 Nauta at the No. 3 slot, but Virginia clinched the match at 4-2 when Kelley defeated Closs 6-2, 7-5 at No. 4. Mercer closed out the match with a 7-5, 6-3 win over junior Jane Fennelly at No. 6.
The Irish (11-12, 5-9 ACC) will next head to the ACC Championships next week at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina.
No. 13 Virginia 5, No. 51 Notre Dame 2
SINGLES
1. No. 2 Danielle Collins (UVA) def. No. 50 Quinn Gleason (ND) 6-1, 6-3
2. No. 15 Julia Elbaba (UVA) def. No. 81 Monica Robinson (ND) 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 108 Allison Miller (ND) def. No. 78 Stephanie Nauta (UVA) 7-5, 6-4
4. Meghan Kelley (UVA) def. Mary Closs (ND) 6-2, 7-5
5. Brooke Broda (ND) def. Erica Susi (UVA) 6-2, 6-4
6. Cassie Mercer (UVA) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 7-5, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. No. 22 Danielle Collins / Meghan Kelley (UVA) def. No. 32 Quinn Gleason / Monica Robinson (ND) 6-3
2. Stephanie Nauta / Cassie Mercer (UVA) def. Mary Closs / Julie Vrabel (ND) 6-3
3. Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) vs. Julia Elbaba / Erica Susi (UVA) 5-4, unfinished
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director 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, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.