April 5, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 31 University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team recorded five straight points en route to 6-1 decision over #65 Sothern Methodist University Friday evening inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
“We played very well today,” said head coach Bobby Bayliss. “There were a number of highlights. “Blas’s (Moros) win over Gaston Cuadranti was a high-level match. Cuadranti had beaten us at No. 1 last year. Greg (Andrews) fought back well in the match breaker. Quinton (Monaghan) lost only two games to Pablo Perez-Esnaola, who went 6-3 in the third (set) last year against Sam Keeton. Wyatt (McCoy) simply fought as hard as anyone can in his match. The doubles point was pretty dramatic, as we came back from 7-3 down to take it to a tiebreaker at two. Now we need to get ready for a USF team that beat us twice last year.”
Moros posted the first win of the singles competition after compiling a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over SMU’s Cuadranti. With the win, Moros improves his season record to 11-5.
Monaghan turned in a stellar performance at singles flight No. 2. The freshman did not surrender a loss until the fifth game of the second set. Monaghan went on to defeat Pablo Perez-Esnaola 6-0, 6-2.
The Irish claimed their fourth team point and sealed the victory courtesy of junior Ryan Bandy’s 6-3, 6-3 singles victory over Nate Lammons at six.
The lead was extended to 5-0 in favor of Notre Dame after Wyatt McCoy swept his opponent Eduardo Razzeto 6-3, 6-2 at singles court number five.
SMU broke their scoreless streak with a win at the #4 singles court. Mischa Nowicki claimed the victory over Billy Pecor, winning in a third-set superset, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2).
The competition concluded with Notre Dame’s No. 109 Greg Andrews defeating SMU’s No. 124 Artus Kazijevs in a third-set superset, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-5) to give Notre Dame the 6-1 victory over the Mustangs.
The Irish claimed the first victory of the doubles portion of the competition at doubles flight No. 3 as Andrews and Matt Dooley ousted SMU’s Perez-Esnaola and Lammons, 8-6. The pairing of Andrews and Dooley claimed their first victory of the season in the first match they were placed together.
The Mustangs would not be denied as they claimed a doubles victory of their own as their No. 1 paring of No. 75 Kazijevs and Nowicki defeated Pecor and freshman Alex Lawson, 8-5.
After facing a 3-7 deficit, Notre Dame’s Spencer Talmadge and Bandy started a spirited comeback and won four straight games to tie the score up 7-7. The match would eventually go into a tie breaker where Talmadge and Bandy knocked off Sanders and Cuadranti by a score of 9-8 (7-5).
Notre Dame continues its home swing tomorrow as the Irish meet BIG EAST rival USF and Butler in a Saturday doubleheader. The action gets underway at 1 p.m. against the Bulls, while the matchup with the Bulldogs is slated for 6 p.m. Both matches can be followed through live stats.
Before the first match, seniors Michael Moore, Moros and Talmadge and senior manager Bianca Fox will be honored for their efforts with the program.
Singles
1. #109 Greg Andrews (ND) def. #124 Arturs Kazijevs (SMU) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-5)
2. Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. Pablo Perez-Esnaola (SMU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Blas Moros (ND) def. Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Mischa Nowicki (SMU) def. Billy Pecor (ND) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2)
5. Wyatt McCoy (ND) def. Eduardo Razzeto (SMU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Ryan Bandy (ND) def. Nate Lammons (SMU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. #75 Arturs Kazijevs/Mischa Nowicki (SMU) def. Billy Pecor/Alex Lawson (ND) 8-5
2. Spencer Talmadge/Ryan Bandy (ND) def. Alex Sanders/Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 9-8 (7-5)
3. Greg Andrews/Matt Dooley (ND) def. Pablo Perez-Esnaola/Nate Lammons (SMU) 8-6
Match Notes:
Southern Methodist 8-8; National ranking #65
Notre Dame 13-7; National ranking #31
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,2,6,5,4,1)
T – 3:45 A – 110
–ND–