Jan. 17, 2015
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team used a strong day of singles to defeat Kentucky on Saturday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Kentucky.
The 14th-ranked Irish earned their third straight 4-3 win over the No. 18 Wildcats, mounting a comeback in the singles portion of the match to earn the victory.
The Irish trailed after the doubles portion of the match, with Kentucky providing upsets at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles slots. Eighth-ranked duo Alex Lawson and Billy Pecor fell to Beck Pennington and Kevin Lai, 6-1, while No. 9 pair Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar dropped to Jerry Lopez and William Bushamuka. The No. 3 doubles match was not completed.
The Irish roared back in singles competition, winning the first four matches to clinch the dual win. Eric Schnurrenberger started the winning trend at the No. 4 spot when opponent Charles Minc retired, 6-3, 5-2 (ret.). The Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s No. 37 singles player Monaghan cruised past No. 92 Pennington at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-4. At the No. 3 spot, Eddy Covalschi captured a 6-4, 6-2 win over Bushamuka. Pecor secured the win for the Irish at No. 5 singles, defeating Lai 7-5, 6-2.
The Irish return to action next Sunday when they host No. 16 Columbia, No. 17 Tennessee and No. 25 Oklahoma State for the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Notre Dame will face Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday’s semifinal, with championship and consolation matches to follow at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, respectively.
No. 14 Notre Dame 4, No. 18 Kentucky 3
Singles Matches
1. No. 37 Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. No. 96 Beck Pennington (UK), 6-2, 6-4
2. Jerry Lopez def. No. 82 Josh Hagar, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-3.
3. Eddy Covalschi (ND) def. William Bushamuka (UK), 6-4, 6-2
4. Eric Schnurrenberger (ND) def. Charles Minc (UK), 6-3, 5-2 (ret.)
5. Billy Pecor (ND) def. Kevin Lai (UK), 7-5, 6-2
6. Trey Yates (UK) def. Alex Lawson (ND), 7-6 (5), 6-3)
Doubles Matches
1. Beck Pennington / Kevin Lai def. No. 8 Alex Lawson / Billy Pecor, 6-1
2. Jerry Lopez / William Bushamuka def. No. 9 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar, 6-2
3. Trey Yates / Charles Minc vs. Quentin Monaghan / Eric Schnurrenberger, 4-2 (DNF)
By Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant
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