Feb. 17, 2016

Box Score | Photo Gallery

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team got a mid-week mood-lifter as the No. 32 Irish picked up a 6-1 road win over No. 47 Purdue at the Schwartz Tennis Center.

The Irish improved to 5-3 on the season, including 2-1 against Big Ten opponents.

The Irish won the doubles point for the first time in three matches, getting speedy wins on Courts 1 and 2. Junior Mary Closs and senior Julie Vrabel got the first win, a 6-0 blanking of Deborah Suarez and Krisztina Kapitany at the No. 2 slot. At No. 1, 15th-ranked senior Quinn Gleason and junior Monica Robinson sealed the point with a 6-1 victory over Andjela Djokovic and Nicole Robinson.

The Irish and Boilermakers (7-6) traded the first three points to start singles, with Closs first adding to the Irish lead by defeating Natalia Davila 6-4, 6-1 on Court 4. Purdue got the next point when Marta Ruedas-Burgos upended junior Jane Fennelly 6-4, 6-3 on Court 6, but Notre Dame took a 3-1 lead as sophomore Allison Miller slipped past Kapitany 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 3 slot.

The next points were hard-won, with each of the final three matches ending in three sets. On Courts 1 and 2, Gleason and Monica Robinson each won their first sets, but fell in tiebreakers in the second as their respective opponents forced the extra sessions. Conversely, Irish sophomore Brooke Broda forced the third set on Court 5 and went on to defeat Claudia Escribens 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to clinch the win for the Irish at 4-1

Monica Robinson took a 4-1 lead in the third set against Djokovic and never looked back on Court 2, padding Notre Dame’s lead with the 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 decision. Gleason completed the win, knocking off Nicole Robinson 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 on Court 1.

The Irish will return home to the Eck Tennis Pavilion for matches this weekend. They will face their final non-conference opponent, No. 59 Indiana, at 11 a.m. ET Saturday before welcoming Louisville at 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

No. 32 Notre Dame 6, No. 47 Purdue 1
SINGLES
1. No. 44 Quinn Gleason (ND) def. Nicole Robinson (PUR) 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3
2. Monica Robinson (ND) def. Andjela Djokovic (PUR) 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-1
3. Allison Miller (ND) def. Krisztina Kapitany (PUR) 6-3, 6-3
4. Mary Closs (ND) def. Natalia Davila (PUR) 6-4, 6-1
5. Brooke Broda (ND) def. Claudia Escribens (PUR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Marta Ruedas-Burgos (PUR) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 6-4, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. No. 15 Quinn Gleason / Monica Robinson (ND) def. Andjela Djokovic / Nicole Robinson (PUR) 6-1
2. Mary Closs / Julie Vrabel (ND) def. Deborah Suarez / Krisztina Kapitany (PUR) 6-0
3. Jane Fennelly / Allison Miller (ND) vs. Claudia Escribens / Natalia Davila (PUR) 5-1, unfinished

To keep up with all things Irish women’s tennis, be sure to follow @NDWomensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Tennis on Facebook.

–ND–

Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.