ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis program dropped its NCAA Championship Tournament match with the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines Saturday evening at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. The Fighting Irish have advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in the Alison Silverio era of Notre Dame women’s tennis.
How It Happened
Michigan scored first, taking the doubles point. Yashna Yellayi and Rylie Hanford battled at the second flight, but were the first domino to fall. The 30th ranked doubles team in the country, Julia Andreach and Carrie Beckman battled at the top flight, but ultimately fell 7-5 as the Wolverines took the point.
Singles action saw Andreach drop the first point in a 6-4, 6-4 matchup of ranked opponents at the second flight. Julia Fliegner gave Michigan a 3-0 lead with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 tally at No. 3. Nibi Ghosh got the Irish point in the fifth flight, using a 7-6 (8), 6-2 win over No. 79 Lily Jones. The sixth position put the match away as Gala Mesochoritou earned a 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-1 win over Akari Matsuno. Matches at No. 1 and No. 4 went unfinished as both were in the third set.
Singles
No. 1 — No. 36 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. No. 65 Page Freeman (ND), 6-4, 4-6, 5-2 abandoned
No. 2 — No. 22 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 97 Julia Andreach (ND), 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 — No. 51 Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. Bojana Pozder (ND), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
No. 4 — Andrea Cerdan (U-M) vs. Yashna Yellayi (ND), 5-7, 6-2, 5-2 abandoned
No. 5 — Nibedita Ghosh (ND) d. No. 79 Lily Jones (U-M), 7-6 (8), 6-2
No. 6 — Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. Akari Matsuno (ND), 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 — Jaedan Brown/Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. No. 30 Carrie Beckman/Julia Andreach (ND), 7-5
No. 2 — Lily Jones/Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. Yashna Yellayi/Rylie Hanford (ND), 6-2
No. 3 — Merri Kelly/Kari Miller (U-M) vs. Page Freeman/Maria Olivia Castedo (ND), 6-5 abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1; Singles 2-3-5-6
Up Next
The doubles tandem of Julia Andreach and Carrie Beckman will return to the court as part of the NCAA Doubles tournament in Florida at the end of the month.