March 8, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team won the doubles point for the ninth time in 11 matches this season in their contest with Atlantic Coast Conference rival Louisville on Sunday, but the No. 23 Irish faltered in singles play as the No. 33 Cardinals claimed a 5-2 victory at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville.
Notre Dame (6-5, 0-2 ACC) cruised in doubles to start the match, claiming 8-5 wins on Courts 1 and 3. No. 19 Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar defeated Seb Stiefelmeyer and Van Damrongsri at the top slot, while Dougie Barnard and Billy Pecor dropped Albert Wagner and Chris Simich at No. 3. Alex Lawson and Quentin Monaghan were a game away from wrapping up their own victory over Alex Gornet and Jeffrey Brown at No. 2 before the match was abandoned with the Irish win.
The Cardinals (13-3, 1-1 ACC) quickly took a 3-1 lead as the match transitioned to singles play, though, as Wagner defeated Hagar at No. 2, 6-2, 6-1, Michael Lippens beat Pecor on Court 4, 6-3, 6-3, and Simich snared a victory from Nicolas Montoya, 6-2, 6-1.
Lawson pulled the Irish back within one, dropping Damrongsri in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to make it 3-2. But fifth-ranked singles player Stiefelmeyer sealed the win for Louisville with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over No. 24 Monaghan at the top of the lineup, halting the Irish junior’s singles winning streak at seven matches.
Gornet tallied the Cardinals’ final point with a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(10-6) win over Covalschi.
Notre Dame will get a week off before returning to action next Sunday with a doubleheader at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish will welcome ACC opponent Boston College at 9 a.m. EDT before taking on Detroit at 5 p.m. EDT. For the latest updates on Irish men’s tennis, follow @NDMensTennison Twitter and like Notre Dame Men’s Tennison Facebook.
No. 33 Louisville 5, No. 23 Notre Dame 2
SINGLES
1. No. 5 Seb Stiefelmeyer (UL) def. No. 24 Quentin Monaghan (ND), 7-6 (1), 6-4
2. No. 104 Albert Wagner (UL) def. No. 102 Josh Hagar (ND), 6-2, 6-1
3. Alex Gornet (UL) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND), 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6)
4. Michael Lippens (UL) def. Billy Pecor (ND), 6-3, 6-3
5. Alex Lawson (ND) def. Van Damrongsri (UL), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. Chris Simich (UL) def. Nicolas Montoya (ND), 6-2, 6-1
DOUBLES
1. No. 19 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) def. Seb Stiefelmeyer / Van Damrongsri (UL), 8-5
2. Alex Lawson / Quentin Monaghan (ND) vs. Alex Gornet / Jeffrey Brown (UL), 7-4, unfinished
3. Dougie Barnard / Billy Pecor (ND) def. Albert Wagner / Chris Simich (UL), 8-5
Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–