Oct. 14, 2017
By Joanne Norell
Doubles Main Draw | Singles Main Draw
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team continued its impressive fall season Saturday at the ITA Midwest Regional Champions, earning upsets – including one of the nation’s No. 1 doubles team – throughout the day at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Both Irish doubles teams still in contention remain standing as competition shifts to the quarterfinal rounds on Sunday, while four Notre Dame players advanced to the singles Round of 16 after two rounds on Saturday.
The day began in doubles as a young Irish duo made a statement. Seeded but unranked, freshman Cameron Corse and sophomore Zoe Spence took down the top-ranked team in the nation in Michigan’s Kate Fahey and Alex Najarian. The pair’s 8-5 win propelled them into Sunday’s quarterfinal round, where they will face Ohio State’s Shiori Fukuda and Maria Tyrina.
Also victorious were 56th-ranked senior duo Brooke Broda and Allison Miller, who defeated Bowling Green’s Paula Comella and Marta Bettinelli 8-3. The Irish pair will face Northwestern’s Lee Or and Alex Chatt in the quarterfinal.
In singles, the Irish maintained their unbeaten status through the first round, with each of Notre Dame’s entrants advancing to the Round of 32. Freshman Ally Bojczuk defeated Michigan State’s Ava Thielman 6-4, 6-2; Corse bageled Bowling Green’s Maharita Tavpash 6-0, 6-0; Spence downed Michigan State’s Emily Metcalf 6-2, 6-4; junior Rachel Chong bested Bowling Green’s Rachel Papavasilopoulos 6-1, 6-4; and freshman Caroline Dunleavy defeated Davina Nguyen 7-5, 7-6(4).
The Irish ran into tougher challenges in the second round, with four of six moving into the Round of 16. Miller, seeded at 5-8, faced her first singles opponent of the tournament and downed Ohio State’s Maria Tyrina in three sets 6-2, 6-7, 7-6. Corse continued her undefeated season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Michigan State’s Aslina Chua, while Chong eliminated 5-8 seed Najarian 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Dunleavy also completed the day with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win over 9-12 seed Habiba Shaker of Michigan State.
Play continues beginning at 10 a.m. ET Sunday with the doubles quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, followed by the singles round of 16.
ITA Midwest Regional Championships
Varsity Tennis Center
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Oct. 12-19, 2017
Saturday – Doubles
Round of 16
[3] No. 56 Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) def. Paula Comella / Marta Bettinelli (BGSU) 8-3
[9-16] Cameron Corse / Zoe Spence (ND) def. [1] No. 1 Kate Fahey / Alex Najarian (UM) 8-5
Saturday – Singles
First Round
[5-8] Allison Miller (ND), BYE
Ally Bojczuk (ND) def. Ava Thielman (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
Cameron Corse (ND) def. Maharita Tavpash (BGSU) 6-0, 6-0
Zoe Spence (ND) def. Emily Metcalf (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
Rachel Chong (ND) def. Rachel Papavasilopoulos (BGSU) 6-1, 6-4
Caroline Dunleavy (ND) def. Davina Nguyen (MSU) 7-5, 7-6(4)
Second Round
[5-8] Allison Miller (ND) def. Maria Tyrina (OSU) 6-2, 6-7, 7-6
[9-12] Mira Ruder-Hook (UM) def. Ally Bojczuk (ND) 6-4, 6-4
Cameron Corse (ND) def. [13-16] Aslina Chua (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
[3] No. 40 Erin Larner (NU) def. Zoe Spence (ND) 6-1, 7-5
Rachel Chong (ND) def. [5-8] Alex Najarian (UM) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Caroline Dunleavy (ND) def. [9-12] Habiba Shaker (MSU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
Friday – Doubles
First Round
Rachel Chong / Ally Bojczuk (ND) def. Natalija Popovic / Paula Tormos Sanchez (MARQ) 8-4
Second Round
[3] No. 56 Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) def. Danielle Wolf / Mary Beth Hurley (OSU) 8-4
[9-16] Cameron Corse / Zoe Spence (ND) def. Sasha Belaya / Jade Hilton (UI) 8-4
[2] No. 14 Emily Metcalf / Davina Nguyen (MSU) def. Rachel Chong / Ally Bojczuk (ND) 8-4
–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 men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.