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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s tennis posted a perfect start to its 2026 spring dual season with back-to-back 7-0 sweeps over Western Michigan and Duquesne on Sunday. The Fighting Irish (2-0) not only did not drop a point to either the Broncos or Dukes, but didn’t drop a single set as well.
The top Irish doubles tandem of No. 21 Molnar/Pozder picked up right from their 11-4 fall campaign, making quick work on court one with a 6-0 victory over Western Michigan’s Weijerman/Smitek. That was followed by 6-4 Irish victories on both courts two (Matsuno/Kovalcik) and three (Hanford/Rawles).
In singles, all Irish student-athletes won in straight sets. Sophia Holod made sure of it on court four, capping off the 7-0 sweep in a second-set tiebreak. With the tiebreak at 5-4 in her favor, Holod pushed ahead for the 7-4 victory.
It was a similar script of dominance in the nightcap against Duquesne. In singles, Holod once again gutted out tiebreak victories, surging past Alexandra O’Brien 7-6(2), 7-6(3). In the second set tiebreak, the score was tied 3-3, before Holod found another gear and fired off four straight points
With Pozder out against Duquesne, the lineup was adjusted, which allowed Gabriella Rawles to compete in her first singles match donning the Blue & Gold. Rawles rewarded the Irish in kind with a 6-4, 6-4 win on court six vs. Sofia Serrano. In the first set, Rawles was down 0-2 before rallying for the 6-4 win.
Also, you can’t end this recap without talking about the performance from these Irish in singles play.
No. 58 Bianca Molnar won both of her singles matches today by a combined margin of 24-10.
Mari-Louise Van Zyl won by a combined margin of 24-9.
Akari Matsuno won by a combined margin of 24-6.
Jessica Kovalcik won by a combined margin of 24-3.
The full Notre Dame results can be found below:
Vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN
DOUBLES – 1, 3, 2
#21 Molnar/Pozder (ND) def. Weijerman/Smitek (WMU), 6-0
Matsuno/Kovalcik (ND) def. Glantz/Baudouin (WMU), 6-4
Hanford/Rawles (ND) def. Osborne/Frazier (WMU), 6-4
SINGLES – 2, 3, 6, 5, 1, 4
#58 Bianca Molnar (ND) def. Lola Glantz (WMU), 6-2, 6-4
Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Frida Weijerman (WMU), 6-0, 6-0
Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Audrey Smitek (WMU), 6-1, 6-1
Sophia Holod (ND) def. Sienna Osborne (WMU), 6-3, 7-6(4)
Mari-Louise Van Zyl (ND) def. Marielou Baudouin (WMU), 6-3, 6-0
Jessica Kovalcik (ND) def. Julia Frazier (WMU), 6-1, 6-0
Vs. DUQUESNE
DOUBLES – 2, 3, 1
Matsuno/Kovalcik (ND) def. Badics/Roka (DUQ), 6-4
Hanford/Rawles (ND) def. Serrano/Arinez Guilarte (DUQ), 6-1
Holod/Van Zyl (ND) def. O’Brien/Yukunina (DUQ), 6-4
SINGLES – 5, 2, 1, 4, 6, 3
Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Mila Badics (DUQ), 6-4, 6-2
#58 Bianca Molnar (ND) def. Naomi Lalonde (DUQ), 6-1, 6-3
Sophia Holod (ND) def. Alexandra O’Brien (DUQ), 7-6(2), 7-6(3)
Mari-Louise Van Zyl (ND) def. Jasa Roka (DUQ), 6-4, 6-2
Jessica Kovalcik (ND) def. Denisse Arinez Guilarte (DUQ), 6-2, 6-0
Gabriella Rawles (ND) def. Sofia Serrano (DUQ), 6-4, 6-4
– ND –
