April 19, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team responded well after experiencing early deficits in Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference finale with No. 23 Duke, but the No. 33 Fighting Irish fell 4-1 in a match cut short due to Duke’s travel needs.
Duke (16-8, 11-3 ACC) snared the doubles point with wins on Courts 2 and 3, as No. 51 Beatrice Capra and Samantha Harris defeated Allison Miller and Julie Vrabel 8-4 and Annie Mulholland and Chalena Scholl upended Mary Closs and Jane Fennelly 8-2.
The Blue Devils quickly added to their lead with a win on Court 6 in singles, with Alyssa Smith defeating Fennelly, 6-1, 6-2, and Quinn Gleason fell to No. 116 Capra 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 1 slot, but not before rallying from down 4-1 in the second set and pulling within 5-4. Vrabel showed similar fighting in her match on Court 3 against No. 84 Harris, forcing a tiebreaker in the second set that went 18 total points, but the Irish junior ultimately fell 6-2, 7-6(9).
With the match decided, Monica Robinson (Court 2), Closs (Court 4) and Miller (Court 5) remained locked in three-set battles, all holding leads. Miller finished out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback over Chalena Scholl, but the remainder of the match was suspended to allow Duke to honor its travel plans. With her win, Miller improved her record to 10-3 in ACC play and 15-7 in overall dual play.
Robinson led No. 37 Ester Goldfeld at the No. 2 slot, 6-3, 3-6, 3-0, when the match was suspended, while Closs was up 7-6(6), 1-6, 2-1 on No. 121 Rachel Kahan.
The Irish (14-9, 8-6 ACC) turn their attention to the ACC Championships beginning this week in Cary, North Carolina. The seventh-seeded Irish will face the winner of No. 10 Florida State and No. 15 Pittsburgh at noon EDT on Thursday. For the latest on all Irish women’s tennis action, follow @NDWomensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Tennis on Facebook.
No. 23 Duke 4, No. 33 Notre Dame 1
SINGLES
1. No. 116 Beatrice Capra (DU) def. Quinn Gleason (ND), 6-2, 6-4
2. Monica Robinson (ND) v. No. 37 Ester Goldfeld, 6-3, 3-6, 3-0, unfinished
3. No. 84 Samantha Harris (DU) def. Julie Vrabel, 6-2, 7-6(9)
4. Mary Closs (ND) v. No. 121 Rachel Kahan (DU), 7-6(6), 1-6, 2-1, unfinished
5. Allison Miller (ND) def. Chalena Scholl (DU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Jane Fennelly (ND), 6-1, 6-2
DOUBLES
1. No. 22 Quinn Gleason / Monica Robinson (ND) vs. Ester Goldfeld / Alyssa Smith (DU), 5-3, unfinished
2. No. 51 Beatrice Capra / Samantha Harris (DU) def. Allison Miller / Julie Vrabel (ND), 8-4
3. Annie Mulholland / Chalena Scholl (DU) def. Mary Closs / Jane Fennelly (ND), 8-2
Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–