The No. 46 Notre Dame women’s tennis team defeated DePaul 5-2 at home on April 12, marking a successful end to the regular season and a celebratory Senior Day for three of its players.
The match was significant as it honored seniors Akari Matsuno, Bojana Pozder, and Rylie Hanford in their final home appearance. The Fighting Irish improved their overall record to 16-8 and maintained a strong home performance with a 13-2 record at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Notre Dame began by capturing the doubles point. Matsuno and partner Van Zyl secured a quick victory on court three, while Molnar and Pozder clinched the point on court one. In singles play, Hanford marked her Senior Day with a straight-set win on court five, followed by Jessica Kovalcik’s dominant performance on court six. Pozder also contributed by winning her singles match in three sets.
DePaul earned its two points from victories on courts one and two in straight sets. Freshman Sophia Holod rebounded after losing her first set to claim her singles match with commanding scores in the final two sets.
Looking back at individual performances this spring, Holod led the team with 14 dual singles wins. Matsuno and Molnar each finished with double-digit victories as well. Kovalcik achieved an impressive 13-1 dual match record heading into postseason play.
Next for Notre Dame is participation in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in Cary, North Carolina from April 14 to April 19. The Irish are seeded No.10 and will face Boston College on Wednesday.
