Sept. 21, 2013
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team continued its solid play Saturday on day two of the Wolverine Invitational at the University of Michigan Varsity Tennis Center. The Irish earned a total of 12 wins combined in doubles and singles matches during the day’s action.
Notre Dame claimed a clean 4-0 sweep in doubles play to open the morning against Tulane, giving the Irish a total of 10 victories in 11 total matches against the Green Wave during the tournament.
Britney Sanders and Quinn Gleason got the wins rolling at the No. 1 court, claiming a narrow 8-7 decision over Klara Vyskocilova and Ipek Birol. Monica Robinson and Jennifer Kellner then followed suit at second doubles, handling Jacqui Katz and Jenny Hois 8-3.
Julie Sabacinski and Mary Closs were the next Irish victors, dominating Emily Dvorak and Meredith Maltby 8-1 at No. 3 doubles for the third Notre Dame win of the day, with Jane Fennelly and Julie Vrabel completing the sweep following an 8-6 win over Margeaux Hyman and Arizona State’s Kassidy Jump.
The Irish split four decisions with Purdue in the second doubles contest of the day, giving Notre Dame a total of eight wins against the Boilermakers during the Wolverine Invitational.
Sanders and Gleason picked up the signature Irish doubles win of the tournament, taking a convincing 8-3 result from No. 12 Mara Schmidt and Krisztina Kapitany at the first doubles court. The victory gave Notre Dame its first win over a ranked doubles pair during the fall season.
Purdue answered with an 8-7 (7-4) triumph at the second court to even the head-to-head battle between the teams at 1-1. Robinson and Kellner picked up their second win of the day by an 8-4 margin over Nicole Robinson and Natalia Davilia to give Notre Dame a 2-1 edge. Purdue won its second match by way of tiebreaker at the fourth doubles court, as Andjela Djokovic and Claudia Escribens outlasted Fennelly and Vrabel 8-7 (7-5).
Notre Dame carried the momentum into afternoon singles against Arizona State, although the Sun Devils struck at the first court when Stephanie Vlad downed No. 35 Sanders 5-6 (1-7), 6-3, 6-5 (7-4). It was all Irish the rest of the way, jumpstarted by a 6-5 (7-4), 6-4 victory for No. 87 Gleason over No. 81 Desirae Krawczyk at No. 2 singles.
Robinson registered her third singles win of the weekend, taking a straight-set decision from Leighann Sahagun 6-2, 6-2. No. 117 Kellner battled to a three-set win over Jump, emerging 6-5, 4-6, 6-1.
Closs responded after dropping the opening frame against Gussie O’Sullivan to pick up the fourth Notre Dame win of the match, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Fennelly fought off a defeat in the first set of her contest with Ebony Panoho for a 4-6, 6-5, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles. Julie Vrabel capped the Irish winning surge with a 6-2, 6-5 (7-5) win over Joanna Smith.
The third and final day of the Wolverine Invitational is scheduled to begin Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (ET). The Irish will face host Michigan in doubles to open the day before closing the competition with a singles showdown against DePaul.
Wolverine Invitational – Day Two Results
Notre Dame vs. Tulane – Doubles
Sanders/Gleason (ND) d. Vyskocilova/Birol (Tulane), 8-7
Robinson/Kellner (ND) d. Katz/Hois (Tulane), 8-3
Sabacinski/Closs (ND) d. Dvorak/Maltby (Tulane), 8-1
Fennelly/Vrabel (ND) d. Hyman/Jump (Tulane/ASU), 8-6
Notre Dame vs. Purdue – Doubles
Sanders/Gleason (ND) d. No. 12 Schmidt/Kapitany (Purdue), 8-3
Xepoleas/Vidal (Purdue) d. Sabacinski/Closs (ND), 8-7 (4)
Robinson/Kellner (ND) d. Robinson/Davila (Purdue), 8-4
Djokovic/Escribens (Purdue) d. Fennelly/Vrabel (ND), 8-7 (5)
Notre Dame vs. Arizona State – Singles
Stephanie Vlad (ASU) d. No. 35 Britney Sanders (ND), 5-6 (1), 6-3, 6-5 (4)
No. 87 Quinn Gleason (ND) d. No. 81 Desirae Krawczyk (ASU), 6-5 (4), 6-4
Monica Robinson (ND) d. Leighann Sahagun (ASU), 6-2, 6-2
No. 117 Jennifer Kellner (ND) d. Kassidy Jump (ASU), 6-5, 4-6, 6-1
Mary Closs (ND) d. Gussie O’Sullivan (ASU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Jane Fennelly (ND) d. Ebony Panoho (ASU), 4-6, 6-5, 6-1
Julie Vrabel (ND) d. Joanna Smith (ASU), 6-2, 6-5 (5)
Irish Off To Steady Start At Ball State Fall Invite
MUNCIE – Members of the University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team opened their 2013 fall season Friday in both the singles and doubles draws of the Ball State Fall Invitational, split between the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center and the YMCA Northwest Tennis Center.
In the A doubles flight, Molly O’Koniewski and Katherine White earned a bid to the second round by way of an injury withdrawal, ultimately falling to Alix Thurman and Christiana Raymond from Miami (Ohio) 8-2.
Darby Mountford and Alaina Roberts advanced through the opening two rounds of play in the B doubles flight, claiming an 8-6 win over Valparaiso’s Megan Barthels and Angelina Goheen. The Irish sophomore tandem earned a matching 8-6 decision against Chelsea Girgash and Megan Brdicka of Wright State.
O’Koniewski raced out to a 6-1 advantage in her first singles match of the fall against Wright State’s Tori Turner. The Notre Dame junior closed out the victory 6-1, 6-0 to advance to the second round of the A singles flight against Raymond.
White moved on to the second match of the B singles flight after defeating Chicago State’s Hanemas Pangestu 6-1, 7-5. White was scheduled to face Illinois State’s Emmie Marx in the second round of the flight on Saturday.
Roberts took an early lead in her collegiate singles debut against IUPUI’s Bobbi Modesto 6-4, but Modesto responded with a 7-5 second set to square the match at 1-1. Modesto ultimately emerged from the hard-fought three-set battle 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Mountford clawed back into her match with Chicago State’s Faith Huckabee, answering from the wrong end of a 6-3 first set to square the contest with a 6-4 second frame. Huckabee clinched the matchup after taking the third and deciding set, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Ball State Fall Invitational – Day One Results
Doubles
Thurman/Raymond (MU) d. O’Koniewski/White (ND), 8-2
Mountford/Roberts (ND) d. Barthels/Goheen (Valpo), 8-6
Mountford/Roberts (ND) d. Girgash/Brdicka (WSU), 8-6
Singles
Molly O’Koniewski (ND) d. Tori Turner (WSU), 6-1, 6-0
Katherine White (ND) d. Hanemas Pangestu (Chicago State), 6-1, 7-5
Bobbi Modesto (IUPUI) d. Alaina Roberts (ND), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Faith Huckabee (Chicago State) d. Darby Mountford (ND), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
–ND–