Nov. 4, 2016
By Joanne Norell
Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic Draws
BRADENTON, Fla. & NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team wrapped up their first day of play this weekend with several positive results at both the Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic and the Notre Dame Invitational.
At the Dick Vitale Classic at Lakewood Ranch, seniors Monica Robinson and Mary Closs each picked up a pair of singles wins. Robinson won her first-round match over Olga Martinez of South Florida, while Closs defeated Maja Omberg of Florida Gulf Coast in the first round of consolation play. The pair fell in their first-round doubles match.
At the Notre Dame Invitational, the Irish squared off with Denver in the hidden dual format tournament, winning four of eight singles matches and one of four doubles matches. Juniors Brooke Broda and Allison Miller, sophomore Rachel Chong and freshman Zoe Spence all picked up singles victories, while Broda and Spence picked up the Irish doubles win.
The Irish will be back in action at both events on Saturday.
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 Doubles Round of 16
Marina Espana / Ioanna Markesini (ETSU) def. Monica Robinson / Mary Closs (ND), 8-7(5)
Notre Dame Invitational
Eck Tennis Pavilion
Notre Dame, Indiana
November 4-6, 2016
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.