March 10, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Following a strong win against Florida State on Sunday, the University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team will travel to Charleston, S.C., to face the College of Charleston.
The match will be the first in several weeks for Notre Dame that isn’t a part of Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The Cougars are 5-4 on the season while the Irish are 6-6, ranking 31st in the country.
With the new duo of seniors Jennifer Kellner and Julie Sabacinski helping out on the doubles side of the action, it is several underclassmen who are coming forward as strong contributors in singles for the Irish lately.
Freshman Mary Closs won both of her singles match this past weekend against Clemson and Florida State. The lefty has shown strong consistency for Notre Dame during her first season, having gone 4-3 at No. 5 singles so far.
“She was unbelievable, she played well, and she did a good job with the tiebreaker,” head coach Jay Louderback said of her performance against Florida State. “She is playing a lot more consistently and she attacks well off her forehand, which makes her very aggressive.”
Additionally, sophomores Quinn Gleason and Julie Vrabel both came back to win their matches against Florida State opponents after dropping their first sets on Sunday.
“Both Quinn and Julie Vrabel both lost first sets then came back and won pretty quickly, which was great,” Louderback added. “To come back like that was something we needed, and they were both big for us.”
The team looks to build on its momentum tomorrow against the College of Charleston. Action starts at 2 p.m. at Patriots Point Tennis Center.
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–