Nov. 6, 2016
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. & BRADENTON, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team wrapped up fall tournament play Sunday on a winning note, picking up five singles victories to close out the Notre Dame Invitational at the Eck Tennis Pavilion and a doubles win at the Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic at Lakewood Ranch.
The Irish completed their hidden dual against Illinois after playing the Illini in doubles on Saturday and won in five of six matches. Junior and 112th-ranked Brooke Broda defeated No. 85 Louise Kwong 6-3, 6-4, 78th-ranked junior Allison Miller upended Ines Vias 6-1, 6-0 and freshman Bess Waldram downed Jerricka Boone 6-2, 6-0. Freshman Zoe Spence also ousted Grace Tapak 6-1, 6-4, and sophomore Rachel Chong cruised by Jade Hilton 6-0, 6-0.
Players were awarded points based on singles results, with straight-set wins worth three points, three-set wins worth two points and three-set losses worth one point. Miller and Denver’s Claire Koke were named champions with nine points, while Kansas’ Janet Koch and Nina Khemlnitckaia tied for third with eight points.
At the Dick Vitale Classic, seniors Monica Robinson and Mary Closs defeated Princeton’s Katrine Steffensen and Catalina Vives 8-6 in an added doubles match.
The Irish will return to the court in January when they begin their dual slate. The Irish will open the season against Western Michigan and Wright State on January 22 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic
Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club
Bradenton, Florida
November 4-6, 2016
Open Singles Round of 32
No. 63 Monica Robinson (ND) def. Olga Martinez (USF), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Marina Espana (ETSU) def. Mary Closs (ND), 7-6(5), 6-3
Open Singles Round of 16
Natalie Novotna (VT) def. Monica Robinson (ND) 6-4, 6-1
Open Singles Consolation Round of 16
Mary Closs (ND) def. Maja Omberg (FGCU) 7-5, 6-2
Open Singles Consolation Quarterfinal
Katrine Steffensen (Princeton) def. Mary Closs (ND) 6-2, 3-6, 10-8
Additional Singles Match
Ana Roman Dominguez (USF) def. Monica Robinson, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
Open Doubles Round of 16
Marina Espana / Ioanna Markesini (ETSU) def. Monica Robinson / Mary Closs (ND), 8-7(5)
Doubles Consolation
Monica Robinson / Mary Closs (ND) def. Katrine Steffensen / Catalina Vives (Princeton) 8-6
Notre Dame Invitational
Courtney Tennis Center
Notre Dame, Indiana
November 4-6, 2016
Sunday
Notre Dame v. Illinois
Singles
No. 112 Brooke Broda (ND) def. No. 85 Louise Kwong (UI) 6-3, 6-4
No. 78 Allison Miller (ND) def. Ines Vias (UI) 6-1, 6-0
Daniela Pedraza-Novak (UI) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 6-3, ret.
Bess Waldram (ND) def. Jerricka Boone (UI) 6-2, 6-0
Zoe Spence (ND) def. Grace Tapak (UI) 6-1, 6-4
Rachel Chong (ND) def. Jade Hilton (UI) 6-0, 6-0
Claire Koke (Denver) def. Hayden Siegfried (ND) 6-0, 4-6, 6-0
Saturday
Notre Dame v. Kansas
Singles
No. 49 Anastasia Rychagova (KU) def. No. 112 Brooke Broda (ND) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
No. 78 Allison Miller (ND) def. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU), 7-6, 6-2
Janet Koch (KU) def. Rachel Chong (ND) 6-4, 6-7, 6-0
Nina Khemlnitckaia (KU) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
Bess Waldram (ND) def. Tatiana Nikolaeva (KU) 6-1, 6-2
Maria Toran Ribes (KU) def. Zoe Spence (ND), 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) def. Nina Khmelnitckaia / Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) 6-3
Anastasia Rychagova / Janet Koch (KU) def. Rachel Chong / Bess Waldram (ND) 6-2
Tatiana Nikolaeva / Maria Toran Ribes (KU) def. Jane Fennelly / Zoe Spence (ND) 6-0
Notre Dame v. Illinois
Doubles
No. 25 Louise Kwong / Ines Vias (UI) def. Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) 6-1
Jane Fennelly / Bess Waldram (ND) def. Alexis Casati / Daniela Pedraza-Novak (UI) 6-4
Grace Tapek / Madie Ballion (UI) def. Rachel Chong / Zoe Spence (ND) 6-4
Jerricka Boone / Jade Hilton (UI) def. Jeannie Nash / Hayden Siegfried (ND) 6-1
Friday
Notre Dame v. Denver
Singles
No. 112 Brooke Broda (ND) def. Julia O’Loughlin (DEN) 2-6, 6-0, 6-2
No. 78 Allison Miller (ND) def. Maureen Slattery (DEN), 6-3, 6-4
Bianca Mok (DEN) def. Bess Waldram (ND), 6-2, 6-4
Zoe Spence (ND) def. Gracia Mboko (DEN), 6-2, 1-6, 6-2
Rachel Chong (ND) def. Arisha Ladhani (DEN), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Sonja Radosevic (DEN) def. Jane Fennelly (ND) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Claire Koke (DEN) def. Jeannie Nash (ND) 5-7, 7-5, 6-0
Morgan Barnhill (DEN) def. Hayden Siegfried (ND) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
No. 41 Julia O’Loughlin / Maureen Slattery (DEN) def. Allison Miller / Bess Waldram (ND) 6-2
Brooke Broda / Zoe Spence (ND) def. Bianca Mok / Arisha Ladhani (DEN) 6-3
Sonja Radosevic / Gracia Mboko (DEN) def. Rachel Chong / Jane Fennelly (ND), 6-4
Morgan Barnhill / Claire Koke (DEN) def. Kema Tuchscherer / Hayden Siegfried (ND) 6-0
— ND —
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director 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, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.