CORAL GABLES, Fla. — No. 11 Notre Dame faced its first conference loss at No. 36 Miami Friday afternoon. The two teams battled it out on the courts as the southern Florida sun beamed down and the Hurricanes snuck away with the 4-3 victory.
After dropping the doubles point, the Irish came back to split the first set of singles action with each team claiming three. Two Irish men swept the first set as Matt Gamble and Guillermo Cabrera defeated their opponents 6-0 through one singles set.
The afternoon match saw three tie breaks and a total of six matches need at least 12 games to crown a set winner.
Doubles
The two teams got off to a hot start on Miami’s campus with the first two doubles courts needing the extra seventh point to deem a victor.
Miami took court three by a score of 6-2 to open the afternoon match before Tristan McCormick/Axel Nefve forced a tiebreak and Grayson Broadus/Matt Gamble were knotted at five. The Hurricanes were able to find the edge on the second court, taking it by a final score of 7-5 to clinch the point heading into singles action.
Singles
Matt Gamble notched the first set win for the Irish on the day, winning set one on the third court, 6-0. He claimed the first two games in the second set to go on an 8-0 run before his opponent, Dane Dunlap, got on the board.
Through two sets, Gamble only allowed his opponent two games as he clinched the first Irish point of the day with his 6-0 and 6-2 set victories.
Guillermo Cabrera also swept his first set, winning the first six games to clinch the set, 6-0. The second set proved to more of a battle as it went to the tiebreak at six-all. Cabrera reigned supreme in the breaker to tie the match back up at two.
Axel Nefve fought hard on the first court, dropping a pair of close sets to No. 19 A. Soriano Barrera, 7-5 and 6-4.
Grayson Broadus was the third Notre Dame player to win a set as he reigned victorious on the sixth court through one set. A close match from the start, Broadus won his first singles set 7-5. He concluded his match on court six tallying the third Irish point of the day with a 6-3 win to take it in two sets.
As the two teams faced off on the final court of the afternoon, Tristan McCormick looked to force a third set when he broke ahead to lead Francisco Bastias, 6-5. Bastias tied the match again at six a piece to bring their second straight tiebreak. The two traded games early but Bastias took the final two games needed for the victory and clinched the Miami win.
Up Next
The Irish conclude their road trip with a stop at Florida State on Sunday, March 17 at 12:30 p.m.
Notre Dame then returns home to Eck Tennis Pavilion for a three-match weekend beginning with Wake Forest on Friday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m. They host NC State and Toledo that Sunday, March 24 in a double header.
#36 University of Miami 4, #11 Notre Dame 3
Singles competition
1. #19 A. Soriano Barrera (UM) def. Axel Nefve (ND) 7-5, 6-4
2. Francisco Bastias (UM) def. Tristan McCormick (ND) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6)
3. Matt Gamble (ND) def. Dane Dunlap (UM) 6-0, 6-2
4. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) def. #71 Bojan Jankulovski (UM) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Franco Aubone (UM) def. William Howells (ND) 6-1, 7-5
6. Grayson Broadus (ND) def. W. Grattan-Smith (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Tatsuki Shimamoto/A. Soriano Barrera (UM) vs. Tristan McCormick/Axel Nefve (ND) 6-6 (5-2), unfinished
2. Dane Dunlap/Stephen Madonia (UM) def. Grayson Broadus/Matt Gamble (ND) 7-5
3. Franco Aubone/Francisco Bastias (UM) def. Guillermo Cabrera/William Howells (ND) 6-2
Match Notes:
Notre Dame 10-7, 3-1; National ranking #11
University of Miami 12-4, 4-0; National ranking #36
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,5,4,1,6,2)
–ND–