The Irish headed into their first ACC road trip of the season this weekend after having opened conference play with a close loss to NC State and a solid win over Virginia Tech. Notre Dame (9-5, 2-2 ACC) split its two matchups, staying steady at 2-2 in ACC play and keeping themselves in solid position in the middle of the standings.
First faced with the Syracuse Orange, the Irish started out well. They seized the first point in doubles, with Junior Cameron Corse and Freshman Page Freeman starting the day off with a win. Corse would go on to win her singles match 6-1, 6-3. This gave her three straight singles wins to open up her ACC season, giving the team an excellent foundation playing in the first spot. She had allowed her opponents to win just 11 games to her 36 at that point, dominating the ACC competition.
Freeman won her match in a hard fought 6-4, 7-5 straight sets decision, but this was where the winning stopped for the Irish. The team was unable to get a point out of its players in spots four through six, a group that had gone 2-4 the prior weekend in ACC play.
The Irish needed a bit more from their depth players the next day against Boston College, and they received it early and late in the match from Senior Bess Waldram and Sophomore Julia Lilien. Waldram paired up with Sophomore Zoe Taylor, and the pair won its doubles match 6-4, helping the Irish seal yet another victory on the doubles court.
Cameron Corse was dealt her first loss in ACC play, but the Irish overcame. Freeman cruised to a quick victory, while Lilien turned out a three-set victory over the Eagles’ Dasha Possokhova in a match that turned out to be crucial to the win. Senior Zoey Spence won the final match of the day to seal victory for the Irish.
It was another 4-3 win for a group that has been in a ton of close matches. Six of the team’s last seven games have been decided 4-3, with the Irish coming out on top in three of them.
The Irish will host Indiana on Friday, and then the squad will resume ACC play as they travel to Louisville on Sunday.
