March 15, 2018
By Michael Scholl
NOTRE DAME, Indiana — The Notre Dame women’s tennis team returns to action on Friday, March 16, when Virginia Tech visits the Eck Tennis Pavilion for an ACC match. The Irish also host Virginia on Sunday, March 18.
Match 13
WHO: No. 36 Virginia Tech (10-2, 1-2 ACC) at Notre Dame (9-3, 1-1 ACC)
WHEN: Friday, March 16 | Noon ET
WHERE: Notre Dame, IN | Eck Tennis Pavilion
LIVE: UND.com (video & scoring)
Match 14
WHO: No. 26 Virginia (7-4, 2-2 ACC*) vs. Notre Dame (9-3, 1-1 ACC*)
WHEN: Sunday, March 18 | 11 a.m. ET
WHERE: Notre Dame, IN | Eck Tennis Pavilion
LIVE: UND.com (video & scoring)
*Entering weekend
On The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame made history its last time out, sweeping a doubleheader with Minnesota and Florida Gulf Coast to give head coach Jay Louderback his 700th and 701st victories as a women’s tennis coach. The Irish won both matches by a margin of 6-1.
Brooke Broda plays atop the Irish lineup and owns a 5-4 record in the top spot this year. Allison Miller plays on court two with a 7-2 mark. The top Irish singles record belongs to Ally Bojczuk, who has been rock solid on court six since being slotted in. She owns a 7-0 record at the spot during the spring and has won 11 straight singles matches dating back to the fall, with an overall singles record fo 15-1 during the 2017-18 campaign. In between, look for Cameron Corse on court three, where she owns a 3-1 record, Zoe Spence at four (4-0 on the year on court four) and Rachel Chong at five (2-2 on the year).
At doubles, Broda & Miller own a 5-7 mark on court one, while Cameron Corse & Zoe Spence are 6-4. Since being paired together on court three, Chong & Bess Waldram are 5-1.
On The Hokies
Virginia Tech is 10-2 on the dual season with a 1-2 mark in ACC play. The Hokies have played just three road matches, with a 2-1 away record. VT has won two straight matches, coming off wins at Old Dominion (4-3) and versus Tulane (6-1) a week ago. In league play, the Hokies own a 7-0 win over Clemson, while they have fallen to Syracuse (5-2) and Wake Forest (5-2).
Natalie Novotna and Caroline Daxhelet have played the entire spring at one and two singles, respectively, where they each own a 9-3 record. Elena Cerezo-Codina is 7-3 on court three, while Nika Kozar is 8-2 on four, Katherine Butler is 7-3 on court five and Nina Sorkin usually rounds out the lineup with an 8-2 mark on court six.
Daxhelet & Novotna are 4-4 at one doubles this season, with Sarah Baron and Cerezo-Codina 2-4 at two doubles and Kozar & Sorkin 5-2 on court three in doubles action.
Notre Dame has won all previous 11 matches with Virginia Tech, including a 4-3 win in Blacksburg, Virginia, a season ago.
On The Cavaliers
Virginia has posted a 7-4 mark on the dual season, including a 2-2 ledger in ACC play, entering a Friday match at Louisville. The Cavaliers have lost two straight entering the weekend, both league matches, to Duke (7-0) and Georgia Tech (4-3).
Rosie Johanson has played the most matches at the top of the singles lineup, where she is 3-4. Cassie Mercer is 3-5 at two singles, while Meghan Kelley has UVA’s top singles mark of 6-2 on court three. At doubles, Johanson and Kelley have posted an 8-1 mark on court one, while Mercer and Teodora Radosavljevic are 5-3 on court two.
Virginia has won four of five matches against Notre Dame, including a 4-3 victory at the Eck Tennis Pavilion on March 19 of last season.
Up Next
After taking on the two Commonwealth institutions this weekend, Notre Dame hits the road next week on a swing through the Triangle to face Duke and Wake Forest. The Irish visit the Blue Devils on Friday, March 23, at 4 p.m., before taking on the Demon Deacons on Sunday, March 25, at Noon.
— 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.