NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team improved to 5-0 this season with their 5-2 victory over #14 Texas A&M. The 13th ranked Irish posted their third consecutive victory over a top-15 team in the win.
“It was another great performance from our team,” Callaghan Family Head Coach Ryan Sachire said. “Texas A&M was a final four team last year so we knew it was going to be a tough match. They have been a consistently strong program and that’s something we’re working to become. We’re not a finished product but we been doing a great job competing as one unit this season.
“We look forward to our matchup tonight against IUPUI and another top-15 team in Illinois later this week,” he concluded.
Doubles
For the fifth straight match, the Irish won the doubles point to advance to singles competition with the lead.
The third court finished first, with Grayson Broadus and Matthew Gamble taking the set in six games, defeating Texas A&M’s Barnaby Smith and Austin Abbrat 6-0.
The other two Irish pairs continued to battle, finishing at nearly the same time but it was Alex Lebedev and Axel Nefve who secured the point for the Irish, defeating their opponents on court two, 6-3.
Singles
Claiming four in the first set, the Irish showed dominance on the court in singles. Lebedev and McCormick both battled back to claim the tie breaking point, 7-6(1) and 7-6(3), respectively.
Guillermo Cabrera finishing first in singles competition, taking the match in two sets, 6-2 and 6-4.
It was all Irish in singles two, where Ciamarra defeated his opponent, Valentin Vacherot in straight sets to put the team back on top, 3-2 heading into the final two matchups.
Lebedev came out victorious to secure the fifth-straight Irish win as he best Aggies’ Carlos Aguilar 6-1 in the second set to tally the fourth Irish point.
McCormick dropped the second set, forcing a match tiebreaker which he won 10-7 to conclude the afternoon match with a 5-2 Irish victory.
Up Next
The Irish will be back on the court tonight as they face IUPUI at 5 p.m. before a midweek matchup Wednesday (February 6) against #15 Illinois.
The Irish conclude their home stretch with a double header next Friday, February 8, facing Boston College at 3:30 p.m. and Ball State at 7 p.m.
#13 Notre Dame 5, #14 Texas A&M 2
Singles competition
1. Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) 7-6 (6-1), 6-1
2. Richard Ciamarra (ND) def. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Hady Habib (TAMU) def. Axel Nefve (ND) 6-2, 6-2
4. Tristan McCormick (ND) def. Noah Schachter (TAMU) 7-6 (6-3), 5-7, 10-7
5. Austin Abbrat (TAMU) def. William Howells (ND) 6-2, 6-4
6. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) def. Alex Vedri (TAMU) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Richard Ciamarra/Tristan McCormick (ND) vs. Hady Habib/Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) 5-3, unfinished
2. Alex Lebedev/Axel Nefve (ND) def. Valentin Vacherot/Jack Pulliam (TAMU) 6-3
3. Grayson Broadus/Matt Gamble (ND) def. Barnaby Smith/Austin Abbrat (TAMU) 6-0
–ND–