The Notre Dame women’s tennis team was named to the field of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, according to an April 27 announcement. This marks the program’s 28th overall appearance and its fourth consecutive selection under Head Coach Alison Silverio.
The tournament will begin in Columbus, where Ohio State is set to host the opening two rounds. Notre Dame, ranked #34 with an 18-9 record, will face #26 Arizona (20-9) in the first round. If victorious, they will play either #5 Ohio State (23-4) or Youngstown State (12-11).
Recent wins at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament helped boost Notre Dame’s national Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking from 44th to 34th. The team has won six of its last eight matches entering postseason play.
Sophomore Bianca Molnar leads Notre Dame as an All-ACC honoree and is ranked #74 nationally. She recorded a season mark of 19-11 and qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship. Four other players—Rylie Hanford, Sophia Holod, Jessica Kovalcik, and Akari Matsuno—also achieved double-digit singles victories during dual play.
Coach Silverio highlighted contributions from her freshman class this season. Both Holod and Kovalcik tied for most dual wins on the team with fifteen each; Kovalcik lost only once during spring competition and earned fourteen straight-set victories.
In doubles competition, tandems Pozder/Molnar (#43), Rawles/Hanford (#68), and Van Zyl/Matsuno combined for a winning percentage of over sixty-eight percent. Pozder and Molnar received ACC All-Third Team honors after becoming Notre Dame’s first pairing since 2015 to secure twenty wins in a season.
Silverio holds a career record of three wins and three losses in NCAA Tournament matches at Notre Dame. The Irish have advanced beyond at least one round in all but three previous tournament appearances.
