Notre Dame split its doubleheader Sunday, falling to Kentucky 4-0 in the first game before ending on a high note with a quick, 4-0 win against Western Michigan.
Against Kentucky (6-3), Notre Dame (6-5) fell behind when it lost the doubles point in a tightly contested match. Senior Quentin Monaghan and freshman Grayson Broadus lost 6-4 at the No. 2 court, but senior Alex Lawson and junior Eddy Covalschi defeated their opponents 6-4 on No.1 . Down 5-2, senior Eric Schnurrenberger and junior Josh Hagar fought back to 5-4 but eventually lost 6-4 to give the Wildcats the doubles point. Kentucky picked up three more points in singles play by quickly defeating Schnurrenberger, Lawson and Covalschi to secure the win. On the other courts, Monaghan, Hagar and Broadus were all either tied or leading their games, but play was halted after the result was confirmed.
However, in the second game of their doubleheader Sunday, the Irish turned the tide and won a 4-0 victory over Western Michigan (8-4). Notre Dame secured the doubles point with Broadus and senior Nicolas Montoya winning 6-2 and Hagar and Schnurrenberger winning their matches 6-2 and 6-4, respectively. In the singles games, the Broncos had early leads, but Monaghan and Covalschi claimed quick wins. On all the remaining courts, the Irish forced third sets, with Broadus securing the win for the Irish, making a comeback to win 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Overall, Irish head coach Ryan Sachire said he was pleased with his team’s recent performances.
“When you take the last three weeks, our team has definitely been trending in the right direction,” Sachire said. “Our lineup has gotten some continuity, and we believe that we have guys in every spot in the lineup that can be successful. [Sunday’s] match against Kentucky was a disappointment, but we will learn from it and be better moving forward against the top teams that we will play.”
A few weeks after mixing up the doubles pairings, Sachire said the lineup change has been beneficial to the whole team’s performance as the duos have gotten more and more playing time together.
“Our doubles lineup change has been a huge positive, and we feel good about the three teams that we have playing together,” Sachire said. “Chemistry in doubles between partners is something that is extremely important and something that we are always working on. However, we do feel good about where things stand right now.”
This Sunday, the Irish will play No. 6 Ohio State at Eck Tennis Pavilion at noon. This is their highest-ranked opponent so far this season, but Sachire said his squad is looking forward to the challenge.
“We are really excited about our upcoming match with Ohio State,” Sachire said. “Like always, they have a great team and will be a national championship contender. We are excited about the opportunity on Sunday.”
