Notre Dame women’s tennis began its 2026 postseason journey at last weekend’s Atlantic Coast Conference championships in Cary, N.C. Going 16-8, the Irish came into the tournament as the conference No. 10 seed and quickly showed that they are not to be underestimated. They began the tournament with a second-round matchup against No. 15 Boston College and advanced with a 4-2 victory. The win set them up against No. 6 Clemson, whom they defeated 4-3 in stunning fashion. Notre Dame ultimately fell short against No. 2 North Carolina with a final score of 1-4, but the Irish nevertheless demonstrated their ability to compete with the best teams in the nation.
Boston College
Things got off to a rough start against Boston College, with senior Akari Matsuno and freshman Mari-Louise Van Zyl falling 6-4 to Eagles Olivia Cutone and Leyden Games. Sophomore Bianca Molnar and senior Bojana Pozder pulled one back for the Irish, battling past Seren Agar and Olivia Benton 6-4. Boston College managed to tough it out at the No. 2 doubles position, with Bella Camacho and Tola Glowacka defeating Notre Dame senior Rylie Hanford and freshman Gabriella Rawles 7-5.
The Irish brought the heat in singles, however, with Matsuno setting the tone with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Agar. Freshman Sophia Holod made her first appearance of the tournament, defeating Glowacka 7-5, 6-4 to hand Notre Dame the lead. Hanford followed up with a gritty 6-4, 6-4 win against Camacho before Games finally took a singles match for Boston College, beating Pozder 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Notre Dame freshman Jessica Kovalcik put the dual to rest, defeating Nadia Barteck in a clutch comeback win, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Clemson
There was no rest for the weary, as Notre Dame advanced to take on a strong Clemson team in round three. Hanford and Rawles kicked off doubles play, knocking out Clemson’s Talia Neilson-Gatenby and Romana Cisovska 6-4. Van Zyl and Matsuno secured the team doubles point, defeating Sophie Clayton and Artemis Aslanisvili 6-3.
Clemson quickly turned the tables in singles, starting with Neilson-Gatenby, who flew past Holod 6-3, 6-0 to put the Tigers on the board. Aslanisvili went on to defeat Hanford 6-4, 6-1, and Cisovska followed suit, demolishing Pozder 6-2, 6-1 to put Notre Dame on thin ice. Kovalcik continued her solid weekend, beating Ria Bhakta 6-2, 6-2 and sparking a glimmer of hope for the Irish. Matsuno tied things up with a gutsy 7-5, 6-4 win over Rinon Okuwaki before Molnar completed a triumphant Notre Dame comeback, powering past Jade Groen 6-1, 5-7, 6-1.
North Carolina
The Irish carried that momentum into their dual against the Tar Heels, where they came out guns blazing in doubles. No. 7-ranked Tar Heel duo Oby Kajuru and Susanna Maltby crushed Pozder and Molnar 6-0 in the opening match. Hanford and Rawles quickly responded for the Irish by upsetting No. 5-ranked Alanis Hamilton and Reese Brantmeier 6-4. Matsuno and Van Zyl snagged the doubles point for Notre Dame, defeating Anna Frey and Maddy Zampardo 7-5.
The Irish could not maintain their firepower in singles, where they faced a lineup of three players ranked inside the top 40. Kajuru flew past Matsuno 6-2, 6-2. The match was followed shortly by Brantmeier, who upended Molnar 6-3, 6-3. Tatum Evans made it 3-1, defeating Sophia Holod 7-5, 6-3 before Zampardo closed out the dual with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 win against Notre Dame’s Hanford.
It was an overall successful weekend for the women’s team, who managed to play above their seed and work their way into the quarterfinals. The comeback against Clemson served as a testament to their mental toughness under pressure, which has been built by a brutal schedule this spring. Not to be overlooked, the doubles win over North Carolina and two top 10 pairs should provide a tremendous confidence boost heading into the tail end of the season.
Things will only get tougher from here, as the Irish prepare to face a gauntlet at the 2026 NCAA championships. The team will need to show the same grit and consistency they did this weekend if they wish to make a deep run and leave a mark on the college tennis landscape.
