Notre Dame women’s tennis advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a close 4-3 win over Arizona on May 2. The match, held at Ohio State’s indoor courts in Columbus, saw the #35 Fighting Irish edge out the #27 Wildcats.
The result marks Notre Dame’s 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its fourth consecutive year under Head Coach Alison Silverio. The victory was decided by freshman Sophia Holod, who secured the final point for her team with a third-set win.
Arizona started strong by taking the doubles point. Chulak and Moore defeated Molnar and Pozder, while Usereau and Garcia overcame Rawles and Hanford. In singles play, Notre Dame gained momentum by winning five of six first sets. Akari Matsuno tied up the score with a straight-set victory over Josie Usereau before Rylie Hanford gave Notre Dame its second point with a win against Tanvi Narendran.
With three matches remaining—all featuring Irish freshmen—the teams were tied at two points each. Gabriella Rawles put Notre Dame ahead after winning her third set against Maria Garcia. However, Arizona responded as Zoya Chulak beat Jessica Kovalcik to level it at three-all.
The deciding match came down to Holod versus Ciara Moore. Holod broke serve late in the final set and held on to secure both her match and Notre Dame’s advancement into round two of the tournament.
Notre Dame has now won seven of its last nine matches and continues its strong history in NCAA play, advancing past at least one round in all but three appearances.
