March 23, 2014
ATLANTA, Ga. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team defeated Georgia Tech 6-1 today. The Irish are now 13-5 on the season.
The victory comes just two days after the squad beat Clemson, also on the road. Going into the weekend, head coach Ryan Sachire said that while the back-to-back matches would be a challenge, it was a challenge that his team was looking forward to.
“This is what’s fun,” Sachire said. “This is the unique part of the ACC schedule that we never had in the BIG EAST. Georgia Tech is another quality opponent and certainly you’re changing venues in one day. You’re getting used to the surface and surroundings at Georgia Tech with only one day of practice.”
The quick turnaround did not affect Notre Dame’s play one bit. The Irish won the doubles point without a hitch, with senior Greg Andrews and sophomore Alex Lawson claiming victory at No. 1 over 20th-ranked Carolos Benito and Eduardo Seguram 8-6, and freshman Eddy Covalschi and sophomore Quentin Monaghan defeating Will Showers and Colin Edwards, 8-3, at No. 3.
In singles, Monaghan clinched the win for the Irish by defeating Segura at No. 2, 6-3, 6-1. Senior Ryan Bandy pulled out an incredibly close match against Benito at No. 3 in a tiebreak, winning 7-6 (3), 5-7, (11-9).
“Today was another solid ACC win for our group. We played a much better brand of doubles today and were able to carry that momentum throughout the singles portion of the match. We really got a lot out of this road trip, but we are definitely excited to be back on our home courts next weekend.”
Next weekend will mark a big ACC test for the Irish, as they will face Duke on Friday, Mar. 28 and North Carolina on Sunday, Mar. 30 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Action against Duke gets started at 3:30 p.m.
Singles
1. #28 Greg Andrews (ND) def. Nathan Rakitt (GT) 6-3, 6-2
2. Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. Eduardo Segura (GT) 6-3, 6-1
3. Ryan Bandy (ND) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 11-9
4. Cole Fiegel (GT) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 10-2
5. Eric Schnurrenberger (ND) def. Will Showers (GT) 6-3, 6-4
6. Billy Pecor (ND) def. Colin Edwards (GT) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. #18 Greg Andrews/Alex Lawson (ND) def. #20 Carlos Benito/Eduardo Segura (GT) 8-6
2. #63 Nathan Rakitt/Cole Fiegel (GT) vs. Josh Hagar/Billy Pecor (ND) 5-5, unfinished
3. Eddy Covalschi/Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. Will Showers/Colin Edwards (GT) 8-3
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–