Feb. 15, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 29 University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team returns to Eck Tennis Pavilion for the first time in almost two weeks at 1 p.m. Saturday when it welcomes in long-time rival Michigan (No. 21).
The matchup with the Wolverines represents the third ranked opponent in a row and seventh in the last eight matches for the Irish. All seven opponents have been ranked in the top 50 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings and the Irish (5-4) are 2-4 in those contests.
Notre Dame is coming off its third heartbreaking 4-3 loss of the season, this time on the road at No. 7 Kentucky Tuesday. For the second consecutive season the Irish claimed the doubles point from the Wildcats, but couldn’t seal the deal in singles, losing four of the six matches.
Leading the Irish continues to be reigning BIG EAST Men’s Tennis Player of the Week Greg Andrews, who sits 6-2 at No. 1 singles this spring and moved up to No. 71 in the latest ITA rankings this week.
Continuing to show steady play in the singles lineup is freshman Quentin Monaghan at three (6-1) and junior Ryan Bandy at six (4-1).
In doubles action, Irish tandems at two and three boast winning marks as Alex Lawson and Billy Pecor are 3-2 at two and Bandy and Matt Dooley are 4-3 at three.
Michigan (4-2) is coming off a 5-2 loss at No. 9 Duke last Sunday. Two ranked singles players in No. 16 Evan King and No. 50 Vlad Stefan pace the Wolverines. King is also apart of two ranked doubles teams – No. 9 with Shaun Bernstein and No. 32 with Alex Buzzi.
Last year the Irish snuck out of Ann Arbor with a 4-3 win over the 28th ranked Wolverines. The Irish appeared to be in trouble after dropping all three doubles contests to go into a 1-0 hole. However, the Irish roared back in singles, winning matches at two, three, four and five to claim victory. It was the first win over their rival since 2009.
For fans in attendance at Saturday’s match, Let’s Spoon will provide free fro-yo sundaes while supplies last.
Fans not in attendance can follow the action through the live stats link that is provided on UND.com.
Following the matchup with Michigan, Notre Dame makes the familiar trip to No. 4 Ohio State next Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.
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