April 10, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team had to weather the wind and the rain against No. 17 Miami, but the No. 31 Irish held up well against the Hurricanes even as they fell 5-2 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
The match began in breezy but pleasant weather at the Courtney Tennis Center before being interrupted by rain, forcing the teams inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion. By then, the Irish had taken a 1-0 lead after doubles play and were fighting with Miami’s impressive singles lineup.
The Irish (14-7, 8-4 ACC) picked up the doubles point with a pair of impressive wins at Nos. 1 and 2. No. 27 Quinn Gleason and Monica Robinson handily defeated No. 36 Monique Albuquerque and Clementina Riobueno at the first slot, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and never looking back. On Court 2, Allison Miller and Julie Vrabel battled back from a 6-2 deficit, winning the next six games against Stephanie Wagner and Sinead Lohan to grab an 8-6 victory to win their third straight.
Miami (13-6, 9-2 ACC) took a 2-1 lead with two quick wins to start singles. No. 32 Lohan put the Hurricanes on the board with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Robinson on Court 2, while Albuquerque defeated Jane Fennelly 6-1, 6-1 on Court 6.
Vrabel pulled the Irish back even, though, notching an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 67 Riobueno to give the junior her first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Elsewhere, matches went to three sets on Courts 1, 4 and 5. After dropping their first sets, Gleason (No. 1) and Mary Closs (No. 4) rallied to force a decisive session, while Miller won the first and dropped the second.
No. 115 Lina Lileikite proved too much for Miller, who couldn’t hold on and fell 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Closs, too, was unable to keep hold of the momentum from her second-set win and fell to Silvia Fuentes in a tiebreaker, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(0) to clinch the match for Miami.
Gleason fell behind 1-4 in the third set to No. 11 Wagner before securing a break and pulling even at 4-all, and then 5-all. It wasn’t enough, however, as Wagner held serve, then broke Gleason on match point for a 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5 win.
The Irish return to action next weekend, when they will travel to Clemson on Friday before returning home to face Duke on Senior Day. For the latest on all Irish women’s tennis action, follow @NDWomensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Tennis on Facebook.
No. 17 Miami 5, No. 31 Notre Dame 2
SINGLES
1. No. 11 Stephanie Wagner (UM) def. Quinn Gleason (ND), 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5
2. No. 32 Sinead Lohan (UM) def. Monica Robinson (ND), 6-1, 6-3
3. Julie Vrabel (ND) def. No 67 Clementina Riobueno (UM), 6-3, 6-4
4. Silvia Fuentes (UM) def. Mary Closs (ND), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(0)
5. No. 115 Lina Lileikite (UM) def. Allison Miller (ND), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Monique Albuquerque (UM) def. Jane Fennelly (ND), 6-1, 6-1
DOUBLES
1. No. 27 Quinn Gleason / Monica Robinson (ND) def. No. 36 Monique Albuquerque / Clementina Riobueno (UM), 8-4
2. Allison Miller / Julie Vrabel (ND) def. Stephanie Wagner / Sinead Lohan (UM), 8-6
3. Jane Fennelly / Mary Closs (ND) vs. No. 63 Wendy Zhang / Lina Lilekite (UM), 5-7, unfinished
Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–