April 14, 2017
By Joanne Norell
DURHAM, N.C. — The University of Notre Dame men’s team could not hold onto the momentum it created from winning the doubles point Friday at Duke, falling to the Blue Devils in a 4-3 decision at the Ambler Tennis Center.
How It Happened
The Irish (12-10, 3-6 ACC) and Blue Devils (13-8, 6-4 ACC) traded matches in doubles, with the Irish taking the early advantage with wins on Courts 2 and 3. After sophomore Grayson Broadus and junior Brendon Kempin defeated Catalin Mateas and TJ Pura 6-2 at No. 3 doubles, Duke picked up a 6-2 win at No. 1 to even the plane. The Irish clinched the point, however, as sophomore Alex Lebedev and freshman Matt Gamble defeated Jason Lapidus and Ryan Dickerson 6-4 at No. 2.
Duke quickly turned things around in singles. The Blue Devils tied the match early with a speedy win at No. 4 singles as Nick Stachowiak defeated Gamble 6-1, 6-0, setting a domino effect into motion. At No. 2, No. 100 Mateas upended senior Eddy Covalschi 6-2, 6-2, while Pura defeated Broadus 6-2, 6-0 at No. 5.
Dickerson clinched the match for Duke with a 6-1, 6-2 win over freshman Guillermo Cabrera on Court 6.
The Irish didn’t score until the match had been determined. Lebedev gave Notre Dame its first singles point with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Robert Levine on Court 3. Senior Josh Hagar defeated No. 89 Furman 7-5, 7-6(9) on Court 1 to finalize the result.
Up Next
The Irish will head down the road to Chapel Hill to cap the weekend against North Carolina at noon ET on Sunday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Scoreboard
No. 46 Duke 4, No. 41 Notre Dame 3
April 14, 2017
Ambler Tennis Center
Durham, N.C.
Singles
1. No. 59 Josh Hagar (ND) def. No. 89 Spencer Furman (DU) 7-5, 7-6(9)
2. No. 100 Catalin Mateas (DU) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND) 6-2, 6-2
3. Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Robert Levine (DU) 7-5, 6-2
4. Nick Stachowiak (DU) def. Matt Gamble (ND) 6-1, 6-0
5. TJ Pura (DU) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 6-2, 6-0
6. Ryan Dickerson (DU) def. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. No. 61 Nick Stachowiak / Spencer Furman (DU) def. No. 19 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) 6-2
2. Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Jason Lapidus / Ryan Dickerson (DU) 6-4
3. Grayson Broadus / Brendon Kempin (ND) def. Catalin Mateas / TJ Pura (DU) 6-2
— 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.