Opening their season at three different event sites this past week, Notre Dame started the season with strong performances across the board.
Thursday, senior Grayson Broadus, junior Guillermo Cabrera, junior Matt Gamble and sophomore William Howells competed at the Milwaukee Classic. In singles, Broadus, Cabrera and Howells all advanced to the round of 32 with Howells making it as far as the quarterfinals before finally being defeated by University of Illinois' Keenan Mayo. In the doubles competition, Broadus and Cabrera were able to reach the quarterfinals after wins over pairings from Marquette and Virginia Tech before being defeated. Meanwhile, Howells and Gamble topped teams from Cleveland State and Iowa brining them to the semifinals where they faced off against a duo from Tennessee. They ultimately fell short of the championship round, losing 8-4 to the Volunteers.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, sophomore Richard Ciamarra, senior Alex Lebedev, sophomore Tristan McCormick and Axel Nefve traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, to participate in the UVA Masters. In the singles event, all four team members advanced through the first round with Lebedev making it to the round of 16 and Ciamarra making it to the semifinals before finally being defeated by Florida freshman Johannes Ingildsen. In the doubles event, both teams of Lebedev and Nefve and Ciamarra and McCormick reached the round of 16.
Wrapping up the Irish competition for the weekend, sophomore Paul Gota, senior Nathan Griffin, senior Daniel Rayl, junior Johnathan Small and junior Conor Somers headed north to Western Michigan to compete in the WMU/Vredevelt Invitational. Rayl won all three matches he competed in over the weekend, claiming the Flight B championship in the process. His defeat over Western Michigan freshman Kennosuke Nouchi earned him all-tournament second team honors. Although his performance was the highlight for the Irish in Kalamazoo, Michigan, his teammates recorded solid performances themselves as Griffin, Small and Somers also earned at least one win in the singles round.
Up next, Notre Dame will compete at the All-American Championships pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds this Saturday, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The schedule continues to pick up momentum as the team will compete in each of the next three weekends. The day after the qualifying rounds of the All-American Championships conclude, the Irish will return to Notre Dame to host the Bobby Bayliss Invitational, wrapping up a busy start to the season. Irish head coach Ryan Sachire has previously said that roles on the team are still up in the air, so while this past weekend’s performances should provide some clarity, there is still much yet to be decided in the coming weeks.
