April 25, 2018
By Michael Scholl
DURHAM, North Carolina — Following a rain delay which forced its match from the Cary Tennis Park to indoors at Duke, the Notre Dame women’s tennis team saw its season come to a close with a 4-2 loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Championships on Wednesday.
Rachel Chong and Caroline Dunleavy won for the Irish in singles action, who finish the season at 11-15. Wake Forest improved to 18-12 and advances to face Virginia in tomorrow’s second round.
How It Happened
Doubles
The Deacs took the doubles point thanks to a pair of 6-2 wins on courts one and three. On one, the 16th-ranked Wake tandem of Emma Davis and Chandler Carter defeated Brooke Broda and Zoe Spence. On court three, it was Alexis Franco and Anna Ulyashchenko over Ally Bojczuk and Rachel Chong. The Irish were trailing 5-2 on court two when the point was clinched.
Singles
Caroline Dunleavy quickly tied the match at 1-1, winning on court six by a 6-1, 6-0 score over Alexis Franco. The Deacons won the next two matches before Rachel Chong won at five singles, 6-3, 7-5, to cut the Wake Forest lead to 3-2.
Court four proved to be the deciding match, as Anna Ulyashchenko defeated Ally Bojczuk in three sets (5-7, 6-4, 6-4) to clinch the match for Wake Forest. Notre Dame senior Allison Miller was in a third-set battle with Emma Davis at one singles (6-4, 4-6 2-4) when play was suspended.
Head Coach Jay Louderback’s Thoughts
On the match…
“We played really well and it was a great college match. Allie Miller was still in it in the third when they got the fourth point, but it was a great college match. Our kids played hard and fought.”
On losing the doubles point…
“We sat and watch Pittsburgh lose the doubles then comeback and beat BC, so we knew we could do it. We won four first sets (in singles) and we didn’t finish but we kept fighting.”
On senior Allison Miller’s career…
“Great career. She’s such a harder worker. She started playing four and five for us and to go from that to playing one this year, is amazing. She had some great matches and played a great match today against Davis, who’s ranked 25th. She’s done that the last month, playing one singles for us.”
— ND —
Michael Scholl has been a member of the Fighting Irish Media communications staff at his alma mater since August 2016. He serves as the secondary contact for the Irish football and hockey teams while coordinating communications efforts for the women’s tennis program. Scholl has previously worked in communications at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Providence College, Vanderbilt University and the University of Cincinnati. The South Bend, Indiana, native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts and Letters in 2009.