Nov. 5, 2016
By Joanne Norell
BRADENTON, Fla. & NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team concluded play Saturday at the Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic at Lakewood Ranch, while also scooping a handful of wins on Day 2 of the Notre Dame Invitational at the Courtney Tennis Center.
Senior Mary Closs fell in the open singles consolation quarterfinal at the Dick Vitale Classic, dropping a three-set decision to Princeton’s Katrina Steffensen. In an added match, senior Monica Robinson fell to Ana Roman Dominguez from South Florida to close the event, which benefits the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
At the Notre Dame Invitational, the Irish squad off in a hidden dual with Kansas. Junior Allison Miller defeated Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum 7-6, 6-2 in singles, while freshman Bess Waldram also snared a singles win over Tatiana Nikolaeva 6-1, 6-2. Miller and classmate Brooke Broda downed Nina Khmelnitckaia and Bernard-Feigenabum in doubles, 6-3.
The Irish also faced Illinois in four doubles matches, with senior Jane Fennelly and Waldram picking up a win over Alexis Casati and Daniela Pedraza-Novak, 6-4.
The Irish will close out the fall competition season on Sunday, with dual match play scheduled to begin January 22 against Western Michigan and Wright State 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
Katrina 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)
Notre Dame Invitational
Courtney Tennis Center
Notre Dame, Indiana
November 4-6, 2016
Saturday
Notre Dame v. Kansas
Singles
Anastasia Rychagova (KU) def. Brooke Broda (ND) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
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
Brooke Broda (ND) def. Julia O’Loughlin (DEN) 2-6, 6-0, 6-2
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
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.