April 5, 2015
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — University of Notre Dame men’s tennis junior Quentin Monaghan picked up his 10th singles win in a row Sunday as the No. 35 Irish battled No. 19 North Carolina, but it wasn’t enough to propel Notre Dame past the Tar Heels, who picked up the 5-2 win at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.
The 17th-ranked Monaghan continued his remarkable season atop the Irish singles lineup, defeating No. 12 Brayden Schnur, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 to improve to 18-2 on the dual season and 3-1 in three-set matches. Monaghan is now 10-1 against ranked opponents in the spring, and 14-3 overall.
The Tar Heels (16-8, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) had all the momentum early, though, winning the doubles point as Brett Clark and Robert Kelly defeated No. 22 Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi 8-1 on Court 2 and Jack Murray and Ronnie Schneider beat Monaghan and Dougie Barnard 8-5 at No. 3. The match on Court 1 went unfinished, with No. 9 Alex Lawson and Billy Pecor tied 6-6 with UNC’s No. 27 Esben Hess-Oleson and Oystein Steiro.
North Carolina cruised from there, winning the next two matches to take a commanding 3-0 lead. On Court 3, No. 69 Clark upended Covalschi 6-0, 6-2, while No. 99 Kelly defeated Kenneth Sabacinski 6-3, 6-4 on Court 6, before the Irish got on the board with Monaghan’s victory. The 24th-ranked Schneider clinched it for the Tar Heels with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Hagar at the No. 2 spot.
Also picking up a win for the Irish was Lawson, who dropped Steiro 7-5, 6-3 at No. 5 singles. On Court 4, Pecor won the first set but couldn’t hold on as Jack Murray prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The Irish (12-9, 4-5 ACC) return home for their final three matches of the regular season, beginning with Clemson at 3:30 p.m. EDT Friday at the Courtney Tennis Center. For the latest Irish tennis updates, follow @NDMensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Men’s Tennis on Facebook
No. 19 North Carolina 5, No. 35 Notre Dame 2
SINGLES
1. No. 17 Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. No. 12 Brayden Schnur (UNC), 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
2. No. 24 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. Josh Hagar (ND), 6-3, 6-3
3. No. 69 Brett Clark (UNC) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND), 6-0, 6-2
4. Jack Murray (UNC) def. Biilly Pecor (ND), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Alex Lawson (ND) def. Oystein Steiro (UNC), 7-5, 6-3
6. No. 99 Robert Kelly (UNC) def. Kenneth Sabacinski (ND), 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
1. No. 9 Alex Lawson / Billy Pecor (ND) vs. No. 27 Esben Hess-Oleson / Oystein Steiro (UNC), 6-6, unfinished
2. Brett Clark / Robert Kelly (UNC) def. No. 22 Josh Hagar / Eddy Covalschi (ND), 8-1
3. Jack Murray / Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. Quentin Monaghan / Dougie Barnard (ND), 8-5
Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–