May 9, 2014
EVANSTON, Ill. — The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team swept DePaul, 4-0, this afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Regional. The Irish now advance to the second round, where they will play either Northwestern or Miami (Ohio) tomorrow (May 10) at noon.
To start off the match, Notre Dame won the hard-fought doubles point at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. Twelfth-ranked senior Britney Sanders and sophomore Quinn Gleason were first off the court at No. 1, defeating Ana Vladutu and Patricia Fargas, 8-6. Freshman Mary Closs and junior Molly O’Koniewski fell to Zaina Sufi and Rebeca Mitrea, 8-7, leaving the outcome of the point to the match on court two. Seniors Jennifer Kellner and Julie Sabacinski defeated Kelsey Lawson and Jasmin Kling, 8-5, securing the point for the Irish.
In singles, freshman Monica Robinson claimed a quick victory over Lawson, defeating her at No. 4 in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Sophomore Julie Vrabel took a 6-2, 6-2 win over Mitrea at No. 6 to put the Irish up 3-0, and Sanders was the one to clinch the match for Notre Dame. She defeated Fargas 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1.
This was only DePaul’s fourth loss of the season, and with their win, the Irish now move both to a 17-9 record and to the second round of the NCAAs. Northwestern and Miami (Ohio) play each other today at 3 p.m. (CST), and Notre Dame will play the winner tomorrow at noon. If the Irish win, they will advance to the final 16 of the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2010, when they fell in the semifinals to Stanford, 4-1.
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–