March 12, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team will spend its Spring Break on the East Coast, kicking off a slate of weekday contests on Monday at Richmond.
Match 13
WHO: Notre Dame (11-1, 4-0 ACC) vs. Richmond (4-5)
WHERE: Raintree Racquet Club | Richmond, Va.
WHEN: 12:30 p.m. ET Monday
Match 14
WHO: Notre Dame vs. William & Mary (6-7)
WHERE: Millie West Tennis Facility | Williamsburg, Va.
WHEN: 3 p.m. ET Wednesday
RESULTS: Live Stats
Match 15
WHO: Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest (11-3, 2-1 ACC)
WHERE: Wake Forest Tennis Facility | Winston-Salem, N.C.
WHEN: 4 p.m. ET Friday
On The Spiders
- Richmond enters Monday’s match with a 4-5 record. The Spiders own wins over Navy, Longwood, UNC Greensboro and Savannah State this season. Their losses have come against William & Mary, Maryland, Old Dominion, Elon and Coastal Carolina.
- It will be the first matchup in the series between Notre Dame and Richmond.
On The Tribe
- William & Mary enters the match with a 6-7 mark, highlighted by wins over West Virginia, Dartmouth and Maryland.
- The Tribe is led by Ekaterina Stepanova, who is 7-5 in dual singles matches at the No. 1 and 2 positions. Marie Faure and Lauren Goodman lead the Tribe with a 6-2 doubles record.
- The Irish are 10-7 all-time against William & Mary, including 10-6 under head coach Jay Louderback.
On The Demon Deacons
- Wake Forest will get 12 days of rest before meeting the Irish on Friday, coming in with a 11-3 record and No. 34 national ranking. The Demon Deacons are 8-1 in their last nine matches, including wins over Clemson and Florida State, but are coming off a loss at Miami.
- Wake Forest boasts one player in the national rankings as of the March 7 poll, No. 50 Kimmy Guerin, who is 8-2 at No. 1 singles for the Deacons. Emma Davis is also 8-2 for Wake Forest, while Chandler Carter and Samantha Asch are 8-0 on the year. Wake Forest is led in doubles by Asch and Joanna Zalewski, who own an 8-0 mark.
- The Irish are 13-10 all-time against Wake Forest, including 13-7 under Louderback.
Last Time Out
Notre Dame extended its winning streak to eight matches last weekend with a pair of wins over ACC opponents Boston College and Syracuse. The Irish weathered a tough challenge from the Eagles last Friday, March 3, pulling out a 4-3 win and getting the clincher in the last remaining singles match. Senior Mary Closs delivered the victory, snaring a three-set win at the No. 5 spot. On the following Sunday, the Irish collected a 5-2 win over Syracuse.
Singles Standouts
The Irish are a collective 55-15 in dual singles matches this season, with five of six regular starters owning less than two losses. Freshman Zoe Spence is 11-1, junior Allison Miller is 10-2 and senior Monica Robinson is 9-1. Closs is undefeated at 8-0 and sophomore Rachel Chong is 7-2 on the year.
Rankings Rundown
The Irish dropped four spots in the latest Oracle/ITA Division I Women’s Tennis Rankings last week, coming in at No. 31.
Keeping Up With The Irish
All indoor home matches will be streamed live on WatchND. Live scoring will be available for all home tennis matches at UND.com, with links for each match available on the women’s tennis schedule page. Live match updates will also be shared on the team’s Twitter account, @NDWomensTennis.
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To keep up with all things Irish women’s tennis, be sure to follow @NDWomensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Tennis on Facebook.
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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.