March 31, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the second straight match, the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team found itself in a last-match-on-the-court situation, but the Irish were unable to pull out the deciding point Friday in a 4-3 loss to NC State at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Last week, the Irish defeated Virginia Tech 4-3 in Blacksburg, but were unable to replicate the effort against the Wolfpack.
How It Happened
The Irish (10-7, 2-3 ACC) jumped to an early lead after doubles, picking up wins on Courts 2 and 3 to win the point. Sophomore Alex Lebedev and freshman Matt Gamble cruised to a quick 6-2 win over Nick Horton and Georgiy Malyshev at the No. 2 spot, followed by a late-break 6-4 win by sophomore Grayson Broadus and junior Brendon Kempin over Igor and Ivan Saveljic.
The Wolfpack (11-10, 2-4 ACC) wasted no time in halting the momentum, picking up the first singles point when No. 87 Nick Horton defeated 45th-ranked senior Josh Hagar 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1.
Notre Dame regained the lead, however, as freshman Guillermo Cabrera downed Michael Ogden 6-4, 6-1 for his 10th dual win of the season.
NC State answered with the next two points to go up 3-2 on the Irish. Malyshev defeated Lebedev 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4, followed by a close decision for the Wolfpack at No. 2, where Alexis Galarneau defeated senior Eddy Covalschi 7-6(1), 7-6(4).
With two matches remaining in third sets, the Irish leveled things as Gamble defeated Igor Saveljic 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
The Irish could not recreate the three-set win at the end, however, and Ivan Saveljic broke Broadus on match point, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, with Broadus playing through apparent lower-body pain.
Up Next
The Irish will return to home action on Sunday with matches against Georgia Tech (noon ET) and IUPUI (5 p.m ET).
Scoreboard
NC State 4, No. 43 Notre Dame 3
March 31, 2017
Eck Tennis Pavilion
Notre Dame, Ind.
Singles
1. No. 87 Nick Horton (NCSU) def. No. 45 Josh Hagar (ND) 6-0, 6-1
2. Alexis Galarneau (NCSU) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND) 7-6(1), 7-6(4)
3. Matt Gamble (ND) def. Igor Saveljic (NCSU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
4. Georgiy Malyshev (NCSU) def. Alex Lebedev (ND) 6-2, 6-4
5. Ivan Saveljic (NCSU) def. Grayson Broadus (ND) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
6. Guillermo Cabrera (ND) def. Michael Ogden (NCSU) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1. No. 11 Eddy Covalschi / Josh Hagar (ND) vs. Michael Ogden / Alexis Galarneau (NCSU) 5-6, unfinished
2. Matt Gamble / Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Nick Horton / Georgiy Malyshev (NCSU) 6-2
3. Grayson Broadus / Brendon Kempin (ND) def. Igor Saveljic / Ivan Saveljic (NCSU) 6-4
— 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.