April 16, 2017
By Joanne Norell
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team dropped its third straight match Sunday, falling to the 13th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels 6-1 at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
How It Happened
North Carolina (21-3, 8-2 ACC) snared the doubles point, handily controlling all three matches. The Tar Heels first won on Court 3 as Anu Kodali and Ronnie Schneider defeated sophomore Grayson Broadus and junior Brendon Kempin 6-1. They clinched the point as eighth-ranked William Blumberg and Robert Kelly downed 19th-ranked seniors Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar 6-2 on Court 1.
Blumberg extended the lead for the Tar Heels quickly in singles, defeating Covalschi 6-3, 6-1 on Court 2. Jack Murray made it 3-0 with a 6-1, 7-5 win over freshman Matt Gamble on Court 4. The match was clinched by Blaine Boyden, who defeated freshman Guillermo Cabrera 6-1, 6-3 on Court 5.
The lead stretched to 5-0 when Anu Kodali defeated Broadus 7-5, 6-2 on Court 6. On Court 1, No. 59 Hagar picked up the first set over No. 17 Schneider, but could not hold on in the three-set match and fell 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6.
The Irish (12-11, 3-7 ACC) got on the board in the final match as sophomore Alex Lebedev defeated Simon Soendergaard 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Up Next
The Irish will return home for the final weekend of the season, welcoming Clemson on Friday and wrapping up the season against Wake Forest on Sunday.
Scoreboard
No. 13 North Carolina 6, No. 41 Notre Dame 1
April 16, 2017
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Singles
1. No. 17 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. No. 59 Josh Hagar (ND) 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6
2. No. 40 William Blumberg (UNC) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND) 6-3, 6-1
3. Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Simon Soendergaard (UNC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Jack Murray (UNC) def. Matt Gamble (ND) 6-1, 7-5
5. Blaine Boyden (UNC) def. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) 6-1, 6-3
6. Anu Kodali (UNC) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
1. No. 8 William Blumberg / Robert Kelly (UNC) def. No. 19 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) 6-2
2. Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) vs. Jack Murray / Simon Soendergaard (UNC) 1-5, unfinished
3. Anu Kodali / Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. Grayson Broadus / Brendon Kempin (ND) 6-1
— ND —
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.