SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team went a perfect 2-0 at home on Sunday, defeating Ball State 7-0 and Chicago State 5-0 in the first doubleheader of the season. Sophomore Akari Matsuno and junior Nibi Ghosh led the Irish, each going 4-0 in singles and doubles action.
The Fighting Irish stormed to take the doubles point against Ball State with 6-1 victories on courts two and three. Notre Dame followed it up with six first sets to take a commanding lead. Junior Carrie Beckman was first off the court with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 4. Shortly afterwards, Bojana Pozder and Page Freeman defeated their Cardinal opponents on courts three and one, respectively, to lock in the team victory. The remaining matches were played out, and Matsuno, Ghosh, and Yashna Yellayi all capped off straight set wins to complete the clean sweep.
Later in the evening against Chicago State, doubles began with a similar storyline. Ghosh and Matsuno blanked their opponents 6-0 at the No. 3 position, while Yellayi and fellow senior Julia Andreach won 6-2 for another commanding performance at No. 2. Matsuno once again raced to victory, followed by Ghosh, Pozder, and Andreach, before the match was suspended. Beckman and junior Kate Bellia both led their Cougar opponents by one set when the match concluded.
Next Up
The Irish head to Madison, Wisconsin for a matchup against No. 25 Wisconsin on Sunday, February 11 at 1:00 pm EST. This will be Notre Dame’s second contest against a ranked team this season.
Box Score – Ball State
Singles
No. 1 – Page Freeman (ND) def. Annika Planinsek (BSU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 – Yashna Yellayi (ND) def. Elena Malykh (BSU), 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 – Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Sarah Shahbaz (BSU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 – Carrie Beckman (ND) def. Sydney Hrehor (BSU), 6-1, 6-0
No. 5 – Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Isabel Tanjuatco (BSU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 – Nibi Ghosh (ND) def. Ella Hazelbaker (BSU), 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 – Carrie Beckman/Page Freeman (ND) vs. Sydney Hrehor/Annika Planinsek (BSU), 3-4
No. 2 – Julia Andreach/Yashna Yellayi (ND) def. Ella Hazelbaker/Elena Malykh (BSU), 6-1
No. 3 – Nibi Ghosh/Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Sarah Shahbaz/Isabel Tanjuatco (BSU), 6-1
Order of finish
Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,3,1,5,2,6)
Box Score – Chicago State
Singles
No. 1 – Julia Andreach (ND) def. Katarina Dukic (CSU), 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 – Carrie Beckman (ND) vs. Sofiya Sedovich (CSU), 6-3, 3-2
No. 3 – Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Manuella Eloundou (CSU), 6-0, 6-2
No. 4 – Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Amina Taibi (CSU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 – Nibi Ghosh (ND) def. Ethel Li (CSU), 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 – Kate Bellia (ND) vs. Nia Cooper (CSU), 7-5, 2-0
Doubles
No. 1 – Carrie Beckman/Page Freeman (ND) vs. Nia Cooper/Manuella Eloundou (CSU), 4-2
No. 2 – Julia Andreach/Yashna Yellayi (ND) def. Ethel Li/Sofiya Sedovich (CSU), 6-2
No. 3 – Nibi Ghosh/Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Katarina Dukic/Amina Taibi (CSU), 6-0
Order of finish
Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,3,5,1)