No. 27 Notre Dame gets by Tech, 4-3, in Blacksburg

No. 108 Francesca Fusinato improved her overall dual-match singles record to 11-5 on the year

March 31, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Despite winning the top three matches in the singles lineup, the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team fell to No. 27 Notre Dame, 4-3, Friday afternoon at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The Hokies (7-9, 0-7 ACC) started off strong in doubles play, as senior Francesca Fusinato and junior Caroline Daxhelet only gave up two games at the No. 1 slot, defeating Notre Dame’s tandem by a score of 6-2. Of note, the Hokie duo won their second straight doubles match and improved their overall dual-match record to 3-2 on the year. Unfortunately, Tech then dropped consecutive matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively, to hand Notre Dame (16-3, 7-2 ACC) an early 1-0 advantage.

In singles action, No. 108 Fusinato made quick work of her opponent, besting Notre Dame’s Monica Robinson in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) to tie the match at one apiece. Of note, the Feltre Belluno, Italy, native has won four of her last six matches at the No. 1 slot, pushing her overall dual-match singles record to 11-5 on the year.

With the team scoring tied at one-all, Tech then stumbled in back-to-back matches again at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots, respectively, to put Notre Dame up on the scoreboard 3-1.

However, the Hokies fought their way back into the match when junior Elena Cerezo-Codina cut the Hokies’ deficit to one with a three-set victory on court three. She won in the first set, but dropped the second. Cerezo-Codina then prevailed in the final set to tally her sixth victory of the season, topping Notre Dame’s Allison Miller by a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.

Trailing the Fighting Irish 3-2, Notre Dame’s Zoe Spence claimed the team’s fourth-match point at the No. 4 slot in a three-set battle over Daxhelet. Daxhelet won the first set with a tiebreak decision, but failed to claim the next two sets for the win (6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-1).

With the match decided, freshman Natalie Novotna captured her 13th win of the season, defeating Notre Dame’s Brooke Broda in a three-set match (6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3)) on court two.

Up next, the Hokies will square off against Louisville (13-6, 2-5 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. First serve is set for 1 p.m. Admission is free, and the first 50 fans at Sunday’s match will receive a free VT tennis chap stick. Also, don’t forget to pick up a loyalty card at the marketing table. With this year’s loyalty card, fans can check in to select tennis matches and earn a prize at the end of the season.

The Cardinals also are coming off a 5-2 loss vs. Syracuse on Friday at the Drumlins Tennis Center in Syracuse, New York. Of note, Louisville won two of six singles matches in the loss.

Last season, Tech claimed a 6-1 decision over Louisville on March 25 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2017 season by following the squad on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Doubles Competition:

No. 1: Caroline Daxhelet/Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. Mary Closs/Monica Robinson (ND), 6-2

No. 2: Brooke Broda/Allison Miller (ND) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina/Natalie Novotna (Tech), 7-6 (7-4)

No. 3: Jane Fennelly/Zoe Spence (ND) def. Sansitha Nandakumar/Luisa Uscocovich (Tech), 7-5

Singles Competition:

No. 1: #108 Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. Monica Robinson (ND), 6-3, 6-1

No. 2: #97 Natalie Novotna (Tech) def. Brooke Broda (ND), 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3)

No. 3: Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech) def. Allison Miller (ND), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
No. 4: Zoe Spence (ND) def. Caroline Daxhelet (Tech), 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-1

No. 5: Mary Closs (ND) def. Nancy Ghanem (Tech), 6-4, 6-2

No. 6: Rachel Chong (ND) def. Katherine Butler (Tech), 7-5, 6-0

Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,5,6,3,4,2)

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WTennis