Tech plays host to No. 27 Notre Dame, Louisville

The Hokies will square off against the Fighting Irish on Friday afternoon, followed by a contest against the Cardinals on Sunday

March 30, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women’s tennis team returns home for a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matches held at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center this weekend.

Tech (7-8, 0-6 ACC) will square off against No. 27 Notre Dame (15-3, 6-2 ACC) on Friday, followed by a match against Louisville (13-5, 2-4 ACC) on Sunday. First serve against the Fighting Irish is set for 3:30 p.m., while the contest against the Cardinals is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

“We are looking forward to being at home this weekend against two tough competitors,” said coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. “We continue to look ahead and focus on one match at a time, one point at a time. We have been playing great tennis, and we just need to keep believing in ourselves and the process and let the results take care of itself.”

Admission is free for both events. The first 75 fans will receive a free tennis stress ball at Friday’s match, while 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.

Last week, the Hokies fell to No. 4 North Carolina, 7-0, on March 24 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Tech then remained in North Carolina, as it squared off against No. 17 Duke on March 26, but dropped a 6-1 decision to the Blue Devils to close out the weekend. Senior Francesca Fusinato picked up Tech’s lone singles victory of the weekend, improving her dual-match singles record to 10-5 overall on the year.

Of note, freshman Natalie Novotna and Fusinato are ranked in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) top-125 poll, checking in at No. 97 and No. 108, respectively. Novotna holds a team-best 11-3 mark, playing primarily at the No. 3 position. She also shows two wins at the No. 2 slot and three victories at the No. 4 slot. Fusinato has won three of her last five matches at the No. 1 slot, all of which were against nationally-ranked opponents. Of note, she has topped six nationally-ranked student-athletes this season.

Virginia Tech looks to beat Notre Dame for the first time in program history, as the Fighting Irish hold a 10-0 all-time series advantage. Last season, Tech dropped a 4-3 battle on April 15 at the Courtney Tennis Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Notre Dame most recently split a pair of ACC matches on its home court, falling to N.C. State, 4-3, on March 24. The Fighting Irish then came back and bested Miami by a score of 5-2 on March 26. Allison Miller leads the team with 15 dual-match singles wins, totaling three victories at the No. 2 slot and 12 triumphs at the No. 3 slot. Monica Robinson follows suit with 13 victories at the No. 1 slot.

Additionally, the Hokies will take on the Cardinals for the third time in four years, with Tech winning all three of the most recent matchups. Last season, Tech claimed a 6-1 decision on March 25 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louisville also split a pair of ACC matches last weekend, falling to Florida State, 4-0, at home on March 24. The Cardinals then bounced back and defeated Boston College, 4-3, on March 26 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Aleksandra Mally plays primarily at the No. 1 slot and boasts a 12-6 dual-match singles record – a team-best mark. Tiffany Huber also holds a 12-3 dual-match singles record, splitting time on courts three through six throughout the year.

Of note, Louisville will play Syracuse in an ACC matchup Friday afternoon before coming to Blacksburg for its match against the Hokies on Sunday.

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

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