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Inside Irish: Wildcat Invitational

Sept. 29, 2016

By Joanne Norell

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team will kick off its fall competition season Friday, commencing a three-day stint at the Wildcat Invitational at Northwestern.

WHAT: Wildcat Invitational
WHO: Notre Dame, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, UIC, Wisconsin
WHERE: Vandy Christie Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill.
WHEN: September 30-October 1, 2016
TWITTER: @NDWomensTennis

Wildcat Invitational Information

Matches are slated to begin at 10 a.m. ET each day. In case of inclement weather, matches will be played at the indoor Combe Tennis Center. The schedule of play will roughly follow the predetermined draws, but matches may be added during the course of the event.

Scouting the Irish

The Irish return five starters from last year’s lineup: seniors Monica Robinson, Mary Closs and Jane Fennelly and juniors Allison Miller and Brooke Broda. Robinson (No. 63), Miller (No. 78), and Broda (No. 112) enter the season ranked in the Oracle/ITA Division I Women’s National Singles Rankings, while Robinson and Broda come in at No. 48 in the doubles rankings.

Blooming Broda

Brooke Broda had a breakout season for the Irish in 2015-16, her first full season of competition after missing the spring of her freshman season with an injury. As a sophomore, Broda went 28-2 overall in singles play, including 22-1 in dual matches and 12-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. She finished the season on an 11-match win streak. Her efforts were good for an All-ACC Third Team selection.

— ND —

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.