DURHAM, N. C. — As the Irish played their second match in as many days in Durham, North Carolina, No. 22 Notre Dame fell to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke, 4-1.
Doubles
The Blue Devils got off to an early lead with 6-2 and 6-1 wins on courts one and three. The second court was left unfinished with the Irish trailing 4-2.
Singles
The two teams split the first sets with Nefve, Cabrera and Howells all recording victories on their respective courts to give the Irish an edge heading into set two.
Nefve found himself up 6-3 after one on the first court while No. 112 Cabrera topped Duke’s Spencer Furman 6-2 through one. The final first set win for the Irish came when Howells defeated his opponent 6-3 on court four.
The lone Irish point of the day came as Nefve recorded his second 6-3 set victory for a win over No. 85 Nick Stachowiak on court one.
Up Next
The Irish will conclude their regular season road schedule with a noon match at No. 11 North Carolina on Sunday, April 7. They will then return to Notre Dame for their final weekend of matches including bouts with two conference foes in Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Duke 4, #22 Notre Dame 1
Singles competition
1. Axel Nefve (ND) def. #85 Nick Stachowiak (DU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Spencer Furman (DU) vs. #112 Guillermo Cabrera (ND) 2-6, 5-5, unfinished
3. Catalin Mateas (DU) def. Matt Gamble (ND) 6-1, 6-3
4. Robert Levine (DU) vs. William Howells (ND) 3-6, 6-2, 1-1, unfinished
5. Sean Sculley (DU) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 6-3, 6-3
6. Vincent Lin (DU) def. Nathan Griffin (ND) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Nick Stachowiak/Jason Lapidus (DU) def. Matt Gamble/Axel Nefve (ND) 6-2
2. Catalin Mateas/Sean Sculley (DU) vs. Guillermo Cabrera/William Howells (ND) 4-2, unfinished
3. Spencer Furman/Robert Levine (DU) def. Grayson Broadus/Daniel Rayl (ND) 6-1
Match Notes:
Notre Dame 12-12, 3-6; National ranking #22
Duke 9-11, 3-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,6,1,5)