Jan. 27, 2018
By Matt Paras
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team (2-0) won their second match of the season 7-0 over Eastern Illinois (0-3) Saturday afternoon at the Eck Tennis Center. It is their second-straight 7-0 sweep to begin the season.
How It Happened
The Irish won two of the three doubles matches to claim the doubles point to take an early lead. Freshman Ally Bojczuk and junior Rachel Chong got things started with a 6-1 win over Emily Pugachevsky and Srishti Slaria on Court 3. Notre Dame clinched the doubles point after freshman Cameron Corse and sophomore Zoe Spence won 6-0 against Rachel Papavasilopoulos and Karla Contreras on Court 2. Seniors Brooke Broda and Allison Miller were defeated by Grace Summers and Stella Cliffe on Court 1 4-6 to end the doubles matches.
Notre Dame performed well in singles again, winning all six matches in straight sets. Freshman Caroline Dunleavy defeated Pugachevsky 6-0, 6-0 on Court 5 to get the first singles point for the Irish. Corse made swift work of Contreras with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 4. Spence clinched the win with her 6-0, 6-2 victory over Summers on Court 3. Miller extended the lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Cliffe and Broda followed with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Papavasilopoulos on Court 1. Chong got the final singles point for the Irish at No. 6, winning 6-3, 6-3.
Coach Louderback’s Thoughts
On what stood out against EIUââ’¬¦
“I stayed on one side during singles so I was not able to see everyone but Cameron Spence really stood out in her singles match. She rolled in both sets and did not give up many points. She played really well today and I was very impressed.”
On the upcoming match with Ohio Stateââ’¬¦
“We head off to Ohio State next weekend which should be a good test for us. They are ranked No. 13 and are playing well this year. We faced them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year at Ohio State. I believe it was 4-0 or 4-1 but it was a tight match throughout so it should be good match for us.”
Notes To Know
- The Irish and Panthers met for the first time since 1982.
- Notre Dame opens the year 2-0 for the second-straight season.
- The Irish won all six singles matches in straight sets.
- Freshmen Cameron Corse (singles, doubles), Caroline Dunleavy (singles) and Ally Bojczuk (doubles) made their second-consecutive starts in an Irish dual match.
- Corse, Dunleavy and Bojczuk each went undefeated in the second collegiate match.
Box Score
Notre Dame 7, Eastern Illinois 0
Jan. 27, 2018
Eck Tennis Pavilion
Notre Dame, Ind.
Singles
1. Brooke Broda (ND) def. Rachel Papavasilopoulos (EIU) 6-0, 6-4
2. Allison Miller (ND) def. Stella Cliffe (EIU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Zoe Spence (ND) def. Grace Summers (EIU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Cameron Corse (ND) def. Karla Contreras (EIU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Caroline Dunleavy (ND) def. Emily Pugachevsky (EIU) 6-0, 6-0
6. Rachel Chong (ND) def. Srishti Slaria (EIU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. Grace Summers / Stella Cliffe (EIU) def. Brooke Broda / Allison Miller (ND) 6-4
2. Cameron Corse / Zoe Spence (ND) def. Rachel Papavasilopoulos / Karla Contreras (EIU) 6-1
3. Ally Bojczuk / Rachel Chong (ND) def. Emily Pugachevsky / Srishti Slaria (EIU) 6-0
–ND–
Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track & field programs. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.