Notre Dame will look to remain unbeaten at home when it hosts Kentucky and Western Michigan at Eck Tennis Pavilion this Saturday.
The Wildcats (6-2) are coming off of a 6-1 loss to No. 20 Northwestern this past Saturday, which dropped their record on the road this season to 1-2. However, the Wildcats boast a top-25 singles player in sophomore William Bushamuka. Additionally, Bushamuka and senior Beck Pennington are the nation's No. 23 doubles team.
The Broncos (8-3), meanwhile, enter the match ridding a four-game wining streak after beating Chicago State and Ferris State on Monday. They also hold a losing record on the road, sitting at a mark of 2-3.
The Irish (5-4) have won their past three matches decisively, taking down Indiana 5-2, Ball State 7-0 and Michigan 6-1. Notre Dame has had far more success at home so far this year, as the Irish are 5-0 at Eck Tennis Pavilion but winless in four matches on the road.
Heading into this weekend’s matches, the biggest storyline for the Irish has been Irish head coach Ryan Sachire’s adjustments of the doubles pairs. The duo of seniors Alex Lawson and Quentin Monaghan is ranked No. 6 in the nation, but Sachire has split the two up over the last four matches to pair them with younger players and spread the talent throughout the doubles lineup. Lawson has been playing with junior Eddy Covalschi as the Irish's top doubles team, and the two have won all four of their matches together. On the other hand, Monaghan has been paired with freshman Grayson Broadus, and they have gone 2-1 together.
The Irish will try to extend their home winning streak to seven games when they host the Wildcats and Broncos on Saturday at Eck Tennis Pavilion. The match against Kentucky is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by the match against Western Michigan at 6 p.m.
