Julie Vrabel was a strong competitor for the Irish this weekend, forcing a tiebreak in her second set Sunday.

Irish Women's Tennis Closes Out Notre Dame Invitational

Sept. 28, 2014

Day 3 ResultsGet Acrobat Reader

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Freshman Allison Miller (Norcross, Ga./Rivers Academy) and sophomore Mary Closs (Menlo Park, Calif./St. Francis) each won two of three matches this weekend to lead the University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team at the Notre Dame Invitational, which concluded Sunday morning at the Courtney Tennis Center.

Miller helped pace the Fighting Irish on Sunday with her 6-2, 6-3 win against Illinois’ Julia Jamieson. Junior Darby Mountford (Granger, Ind./Saint Joseph) captured Notre Dame’s other win of the day, defeating Tulane’s Zoe Graber, 6-3, 6-0.

Junior Julie Vrabel (Centreville, Va./Thomas Jefferson) bid for a third Fighting Irish win, forcing a tiebreak in the second set of her first match with Illinois’ Ipek Birol, but Vrabel ultimately dropped a 6-0, 7-6 (5) decision.

Closs fought hard against Purdue’s Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum on Sunday morning, but lost, 6-2, 6-1, while senior Molly O’Koniewski (Hilton Head, S.C./Heritage Academy) lost to Louisville’s Aleksandra Mally by the same 6-2, 6-1 scores.

Sophomore Jane Fennelly (Rathmines, Ireland/Mount Anville Secondary School) came up short against Purdue’s Andjela Djokovic, losing 6-2, 6-2, and senior Katherine White (Columbus, Ga./Brookstone) fell to Tulane’s Meredith Maltby, 6-3, 6-2. Junior Alaina Roberts (Goshen, Ind./Saint Joseph) rounded out the Notre Dame contingent, dropping two hard-fought sets to Akron’s Sophie Geier, 6-3, 6-3.

“I think each one learns something individually from this tournament,” Fighting Irish head coach Jay Louderback said. “(Our players) all have something they have to work on. We had a rough day today, didn’t compete as well as I was hoping we would, but we all know what needs work, and we can move forward and prepare for the spring.”

Notre Dame has a quick turnaround, as the Fighting Irish head to Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Tuesday for the opening day of the All-American Invitational.

Notre Dame Results – Sunday

Ipek Birol (Illinois) def. Julie Vrabel (Notre Dame) 6-0, 7-6 (5)

Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Mary Closs (Notre Dame) 6-2, 6-1

Allison Miller (Notre Dame) def. Julia Jamieson (Illinois) 6-2, 6-3

Aleksandra Mally (Louisville) def. Molly O’Koniewski (Notre Dame) 6-2, 6-1

Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) def. Jane Fennelly (Notre Dame) 6-2, 6-2

Meredith Maltby (Tulane) def. Katherine White (Notre Dame) 6-3, 6-2

Sophie Geier (Akron) def. Alaina Roberts (Notre Dame) 6-3, 6-3

Darby Mountford (Notre Dame) def. Zoe Gaber (Tulane) 6-3, 6-0
–ND–