CARY, N.C. — The Irish opened their run at the ACC Championships with a convincing sweep over eighth-seeded Virginia Tech, 4-0. Notre Dame, who ranks 23rd in the nation and is seeded ninth in the conference tournament won 11 consecutive sets in route to the victory, claiming the doubles point in two sets before taking three singles points in straight sets.
“We were excited to play today,” Callaghan Family Head Coach Ryan Sachire said. “The guys came out fired up and confident.
Notre Dame, who has swept three consecutive matches heading into the ACC Championships quarterfinals, looks to continue to build on the momentum they have set.
“We talked last week following the Georgia Tech match and how we need to continue playing at that level. I think the men are buying into that mantra and we’re excited to have more of our lineup players back which makes a difference in the team’s overall confidence.”
Doubles
Notre Dame jumped out to a quick start as Richard Ciamarra and Axel Nefve took a 6-3 set before Guillermo Cabrera and William Howells clinched the first point in a 6-2 win at court three.
Singles
The streak continued as the team swept all six courts through the first set, including Matthew Gamble coming from behind to steal a 7-6(5) tiebreak on court five.
No. 94 individually, Richard Ciamarra claimed his first singles win since returning from injury with a 6-4, 6-2 victory on court two, and first for the Irish.
“It felt great,” the sophomore Ciamarra said. “It was definitely nice to get out and get a win under my belt but overall, from a team perspective, I think the team played unreal today.”
Axel Nefve followed suit with a match win of his own, defeating No. 67 Jason Kros in straight sets with 6-1 and 6-2 wins on the top court.
The Irish clinched the match point with a 6-1 win on court five by William Howells who had taken his first set by a score of 6-4.
Up Next
Notre Dame will face top-seeded, and fourth ranked Wake Forest Friday, April 19 at 9 a.m. in the quarterfinals. The winner will advance to play the winner of NC State/Miami on Saturday for a shot in the ACC Championship title match.
“We’re excited for the opportunity ahead of us in Wake Forest and we look forward to giving it our best shot,” Sachire concluded.
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