March 24, 2017
By Joanne Norell
BLACKSBURG, Va. — The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team picked up a critical road win on Friday, defeating Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech 4-3 in the last remaining singles match at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.
How It Happened
The Irish (10-6, 2-2 ACC) led on all three doubles courts, clinching at the No. 2 and 3 positions to grab an early advantage. Sophomore Grayson Broadus and junior Brendon Kempin first defeated Jason Kros and Freddy Mesmer 6-3 before freshman Matt Gamble and sophomore Alex Lebedev upended Mitch Harper and Alexandre Ribeiro by the same score for the clincher.
Eleventh-ranked seniors Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi led 5-3 on Court 1 before the match was abandoned.
Hagar, who is ranked 45th in the Oracle/ITA national singles rankings, gave the Irish a 2-0 lead with a speedy 6-0, 6-2 victory over No. 82 Jai Corbett at the No. 1 spot
The Hokies (6-9, 1-4 ACC), however answered with two straight wins to tie the match. Kros defeated freshman Guillermo Cabrera 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 and Mesmer downed Broadus 6-2, 6-4 at No. 5 to give Virginia Tech new life.
Notre Dame answered on Court 2 as Covalschi outlasted Ribeiro 6-1, 7-6 to make it 3-2 in favor of the Irish.
The final matches on Courts 3 and 4 each reached third sets. Tech’s Harper added drama to the proceedings with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Lebedev at No. 3, tying the match score at 3. But the Irish ultimately prevailed as Gamble erased the threat from Henrik Korsgaard in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory.
Gamble improved to 12-4 in singles on the season, which leads the team.
Up Next
The Irish will get a week off before they will welcome North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday at the Courtney Tennis Center.
Scoreboard
No. 38 Notre Dame 4, Virginia Tech 3
March 24, 2017
Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center
Blacksburg, Va.
Singles
1. No. 45 Josh Hagar (ND) def. No. 82 Jai Corbett (VT) 6-0, 6-2
2. Eddy Covalschi (ND) def. Alexandre Ribeiro (VT) 6-1, 7-6
3. Mitch Harper (VT) def. Alex Lebedev (ND) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Matt Gamble (ND) def. Henrik Korsgaard (VT) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
5. Freddy Mesmer (UVA) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 6-2, 6-4
6. Jason Kros (VT) def. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
1. No. 11 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) vs. Jai Corbett / Henrik Korsgaard (VT) 5-3, unfinished
2. Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Mitch Harper / Alexandre Ribeiro (VT) 6-3
3. Grayson Broadus / Brendon Kempin (ND) def. Jason Kros / Freddy Mesmer (VT) 6-3
— ND —
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.