Feb. 24, 2017
By Leigh Torbin
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team upset No. 13 Northwestern, 4-1, on Friday night before a loud crowd of 325 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
How It Happened
Notre Dame won the doubles point with victories on Courts 1 and 3. Notre Dame took a 3-0 lead in singles play as the bottom of the lineup came through. Matt Gamble and Guillermo Cabrera won by identical, 6-1, 6-4 scores at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. The WIldcats got their lone win of the night as Domonik Stary claimed at win at No. 3, but the fight in the Irish would ultimately prevail. After losing the first set at No. 1, Josh Hagar battled back for a three-set match-clinching win over Strong Kirchheimer, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The win is the biggest by ranking for the Irish since defeating No. 1 North Carolina last season on Senior Night at the Eck Tennis Pavilion (April 8, 2016). Before that, the Irish had not beaten a top 20 opponent since winning against No. 18 Kentucky on January 17, 2015.
Sachire Says
On the overall performance…
“Winning is two parts. It is preparation and being ready to play at the level necessary to beat a great team like Northwestern and, during the match, it’s how you compete. It’s how to manage different situations. I thought our guys did a pretty good job tonight of the competing part. We had a great week of practice and a great week of preparation. When we found ourselves in difficult moments, we trusted how we play. We trusted our games.
“Northwestern’s a great team and when they made runs at us, we had the will to make a run right back at them and not just let them overwhelm us with their energy and their play. We pushed back and I’m super proud of our guys for doing that. The win means so much because we respect Northwestern a lot.”
Up Next
The Irish will hit the road for the first time since January when they head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 2 Ohio State at 6 p.m. ET Friday at Ohio State’s Varsity Tennis Center.
Scoreboard
Notre Dame 4, No. 13 Northwestern 1
February 24, 2017
Eck Tennis Pavilion
Singles
- No. 44 Josh Hagar (ND) def. #28 Strong Kirchheimer (NU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Eddy Covalschi (ND) vs. Sam Shropshire (NU), 6-4, 6-7 (4), 4-3, unfinished
- Dominik Stary (NU) def. Alex Lebedev (ND), 6-4, 6-4
- Grayson Broadus (ND) vs. Ben Vandixhorn (NU), 4-6, 7-6 (5), 5-6, unfinished
- Matt Gamble (ND) def. Jason Seidman (NU), 6-1, 6-4
- Guillermo Cabrera (ND) def. Brenden Volk (NU), 6-1, 6-4
Doubles
- No. 6 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) def. Konrad Zieba / Sam Shrophine (NU), 6-3
- No. 51 Dominik Stary / Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Grayson Broadus / Brendon Kempin (ND), 6-1
- Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Chris Ephron / Ben Vandixhorn (NU), 6-2
— ND —