Wake Forest University
Notre Dame
Deacs Primed to Face Fighting Irish in Opening Test of 2023 ACC Tournament
4/18/2023 9:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The second-round matchup will be a second all-time meeting between the two sides.
CARY, N.C. – Postseason time has officially arrived for Wake Forest women's tennis (16-12), as the team prepares for a second-round tilt against the No. 8-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-9) in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Thursday (April 20) at the Cary Tennis Park, hosted in Cary, North Carolina.
Thursday will feature the second-ever meeting between the Demon Deacons and Fighting Irish in the conference tournament. Wake Forest won the first matchup, also having taken place in Cary, back on April 25, 2018, winning 4-2.
Fans can follow the event's action through the ACC's live streaming and live stats options.
Wake Forest most recently went 2-1 at home in its final week of regular-season competition.
The Match
Thursday, April 20 – No. 9-seeded Wake Forest vs. No. 8-seeded Notre Dame – 10 a.m. ET
The Event
Action in the conference tournament gets underway on Wednesday (April 19) for opponents within the first round. A total of eight matchups are slated to take place Thursday through Friday (April 20-21) before Saturday (April 22) features the semifinal round. The ACC championship will headline Sunday (April 23), scheduled for 10 a.m. ET.
Single day tickets are priced at $10 for adults (ages 18 and older; children under 9 and ACC students get in free with school ID) and $7 for youth ages 17 and under. A full championship pass for all five days is priced at $25. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11254. All seating for the tournament is general admission.
Last Time Out
Friday, April 14 – No. 28 Wake Forest 5, Virginia Tech 2
Enduring scattered rainy conditions and ramping up play in its final week of regular-season competition, Wake Forest defeated the visiting Hokies of Virginia Tech (10-12, 1-11) on Friday evening (April 14) for its fifth Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win of the spring campaign.
Freshman Whitley Pate shined in a three-set appearance, ultimately clinching the match for her Deacs in sixth singles. Her classmate, Nevena Carton, moved to 13-9 in solo play.
Wake Forest handed Virginia Tech its sixth straight loss of the season. The Deacons additionally bumped its home record to 11-3 on the year.
Recording their 58th career win in doubles, No. 14 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth are now tied with Liz Barker/Dana Evans (1991-94) for fourth all-time as a tandem throughout program history. Named All-Americans by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in 2022, the duo currently leads Wake Forest with a 14-4 mark this year.
The victory also featured head coach Jeff Wyshner's 400th combined career win, including stints in leading both men and women's programs.
Brylin's win in doubles has her tied for fourth all-time (94) with Jackie Van Wijk (1985-89) and Dana Evans (1991-95).
Currently on an eight-match win streak over the Hokies, the Deacs hold a 32-6 all-time record against Virginia Tech.
Sunday, April 16 – No. 9 Virginia 6, No. 28 Wake Forest 1
Wake Forest started off hot against the nationally-ranked Cavaliers, capturing the doubles point. The first half of the match featured a second ranked win of the season for Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten, downing No. 23 Natasha Subhash/Elaine Chervinsky in a controlled showing. Freshmen Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate clinched the first point for the Deacs, earning their 12th win of the spring.
A handful of gritty performances took over singles, but Virginia was able to clinch after winning four courts in a row. Brylin caused tight competition in second singles, going down to the wire in three sets against No. 55 Julia Adams.
Wake Forest leads 29-26 in the all-time series versus Virginia.
Sunday, April 16 – No. 28 Wake Forest 4, North Carolina A&T 0
Using an hour break following the loss to Virginia, Wake Forest bounced back in its final appearance of the regular season, sweeping in-state foe North Carolina A&T.
Maddie Lynch and Jingyi Li enjoyed a serious upper hand in doubles, going untouched in a 6-0 mark at the three spot. In their first match alongside each other, Whitley Pate and Brooke Killingsworth clinched doubles on court one.
Singles breezed by for the Deacons, as Li, Casie Wooten, and Nevena Carton all notched straight-set wins.
Home Protection
Wake Forest tallied a remarkable 12-4 mark at home, going 8-1 against non-conference opponents. Four of the team's five season sweeps in a single match happened at its tennis center.
Wake Forest Women's Tennis 2023 Home Victories
Jan. 22 – vs. Charlotte – W, 4-3
Jan. 22 – vs. Richmond – W, 5-2
Feb. 5 – vs. Campbell – W, 7-0
Feb. 11 – vs. Furman – W, 5-2
Feb. 11 – vs. UNC Greensboro – W, 7-0
March 3 – vs. No. 45 Clemson – W, 5-2
March 5 – vs. No. 19 Georgia Tech – W, 4-2
March 5 – vs. Middle Tennessee – W, 4-2
April 2 – vs. No. 28 Syracuse – W, 5-2
April 2 – vs. Elon – W, 4-0
April 14 – vs. Virginia Tech – W, 5-2
April 16 – vs. North Carolina A&T – W, 4-0
Within the Win Column
The Deacs have had three individual players and three pairings rack up double-figures in wins throughout singles and doubles competition this spring, respectively:
- Anna Brylin (Singles): 17-5
- Nevena Carton (Singles): 14-10
- Casie Wooten (Singles): 12-12
- Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (Doubles): 14-5
- Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (Doubles): 12-7
- Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (Doubles): 11-7
Revamped Rankings
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its first team and individual rankings of the 2023 postseason on Tuesday (April 18), as the Deacons moved to No. 33 as a group.
ITA Singles:
- No. 56 – Casie Wooten
- No. 64 – Anna Brylin
ITA Doubles:
- No. 18 – Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth
Series History
Versus Notre Dame
- Series: Notre Dame leads, 17-14
- Last Meeting: March 26, 2023
- Result: L, 0-7
Scouting the Opposition
Notre Dame moved up to No. 23 in the latest ITA team standings and have a few players that hold national rankings:
- No. 47 – Carrie Beckman/Julia Andreach (ITA Doubles)
- No. 55 – Page Freeman (ITA Singles)
- No. 88 – Julia Andreach (ITA Singles)
The Fighting Irish additionally have four individuals and two doubles pairs with 10 or more wins in spring play:
- Julia Andreach/Carrie Beckman (Doubles): 14-4
- Bojana Pozder (Singles): 14-5
- Rylie Hanford/Yashna Yellayi (Doubles): 13-5
- Page Freeman (Singles): 13-8
- Akari Matsuno (Singles): 10-8
- Julia Andreach (Singles): 10-9
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's matchup in the second round will advance to the tournament's quarterfinal slate, facing No. 1-seeded North Carolina on Friday (April 21) at 10 a.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
