March 23, 2018
By Matt Paras
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – The 26th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team dropped a tough Atlantic Coast Conference match Friday afternoon, falling to fifth-ranked North Carolina 6-1 at the Eck Tennis Center.
How It Happened
North Carolina (13-3, 3-0 ACC) led 1-0 after doubles, winning on Courts 2 and 3, while Court 1 went unfinished.
In singles, the Tar Heels picked up the first point from Benjamin Sigouin. He won No. 2 singles 6-0, 6-2 over Guillermo Cabrera and gave the Tar Heels a 2-0 advantage. The Irish got one-point back courtesy of Richard Ciamarra. He won No. 3 singles over Simon Soendergaard 6-1, 6-2 to bring the Irish within one.
No. 99 Robert Kelly defeated Matt Gamble 7-5, 6-2 in No. 4 singles and regained a two-point lead for the Tar Heels. Mac Kiger clinched the match for North Carolina shortly after, defeating Grayson Broadus 6-3, 6-2 in No. 6 singles.
The Irish did not quit once the match was decided as Alex Lebedev forced a third set after winning the tiebreaker in the second set. William Blumberg went on to win the match 6-2, 6-7 (2-7, 1-0 (10-4). Blaine Boyden won the final match of the afternoon in No. 5 singles 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 over Tristian McCormick.
Up Next
The Irish (10-9, 2-2 ACC) hosting a doubleheader with Virginia Tech (noon ET) and IUPUI (5 p.m. ET) on Sunday to close out the weekend.
Scoreboard
No. 5 North Carolina 6, No. 26 Notre Dame 1
March 23, 2018
Eck Tennis Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
Singles
- No. 2 William Blumberg (UNC) def. No. 48 Alex Lebedev (ND) 7-2, 6-7 (2-7), 1-0 (10-4)
- No. 34 Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) def. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) 6-0, 6-2
- Richard Ciamarra (ND) def. Simon Soendergaard (UNC) 6-1, 6-2
- No. 99 Robert Kelly (UNC) def. Matt Gamble (ND) 7-5, 6-2
- Blaine Boyden (UNC) def. Tristian McCormick (ND) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
- Mac Kiger (UNC) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
- No. 80 Brendon Kempin / Tristan McCormick (ND) vs. No. 3 William Blumberg / Robert Kelly (UNC) 4-5, unfinished
- Benjamin Sigouin / Blaine Boyden (UNC) def. Grayson Broadus / Richard Ciamarra (ND) 6-2
- Simon Soendergaard / Mac Kiger (UNC) def. Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) 6-0
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Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track & field programs. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.