May 22, 2013
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Notre Dame tennis standout Greg Andrews (Richland, Mich.), pulled off an upset on Wednesday afternoon (May 21) on the opening day of singles play at the 2013 NCAA Championships at the Khan Outdoord Tennis Complex in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. The Irish junior, ranked 80th nationally, defeated No. 18 Jeremy Efferding of Texas A&M in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
With the victory, Andrews moves into the second round and will play 16th-ranked Ray Sarmiento of USC tomorrow morning (Thursday, May 22) at 9:00 am (ET)/8:00 am (CT).
Andrews, a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year honoree and the Most Outstanding Player of the ’13 BIG EAST Men’s Tennis Championship, picked up his first-ever NCAA singles victory in individual competition after being eliminated in the first round of last year’s singles draw.
Efferding, known for his blistering serves and steady play, went up 2-0 in the first set before allowing Andrews the chance to get on the board. Trailing 2-1, Andrew won the next three games to take a 4-2 advantage before Efferding closed to within 4-3. The first set ended with Andrews scoring a crucial point off an errant Efferding volley.
The second set began much like the first with Efferding once again taking the first two games before Andrews knotted the second set at 2-2. With both players battling for every point, the two exchanged games and points throughout the match before Andrews secured a 5-3 lead in what ultimately would be the final set. Efferding won game nine of the second match, but Andrews was able to close out the victory in the 10th game of the set with an overhead slam that propelled him to his first-ever NCAA singles victory.
For complete results as well as live stats during competition, go to www.fightingillini.com/ncaatennis2013/livestats.html.