Aug. 31, 2017
2017-18 Men’s Tennis Schedule
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By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team unveiled its 2017-18 schedule Thursday, revealing a challenging slate that will feature top-ranked opponents during both conference and nonconference play.
Notre Dame’s dual match schedule will feature 15 opponents that were ranked in the final Oracle/ITA Division I College Rankings last season, including each of the top four teams in No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 4 Ohio State. Seven 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference opponents were also ranked in the top 50 following last season.
The Irish will also add Texas A&M, Michigan, Texas and either Tennessee or Minnesota to the nonconference slate for 2018. The Irish will face Texas in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, while Tennessee and Minnesota sit on the other side of the bracket. Texas, Texas A&M and Michigan were all ranked in the top 20 last season.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the dual match schedule that we will face in the 2018 season,” Callaghan Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire said. “One of the primary reasons why our student-athletes chose Notre Dame was the opportunity to compete at the very highest level of our sport and ultimately develop into the very best players that they can be.
“Both our non-conference and ACC schedules will challenge our guys and present great opportunities to play against many of the best teams in the country.”
The Irish will open the fall slate during the weekend of Sept. 15-17, sending student-athletes to compete at both the Napa Valley Classic and the Harvard Chowder Fest. The next weekend is Alabama’s Crimson Tide 4-In-The-Fall, followed by the St. Francis Health System/ITA All-American Championships from Sept. 30-Oct. 9.
Notre Dame will host the Bobby Bayliss Invitational for the third time (2013, 2016) from Oct. 6-8, then head to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the ITA Midwest Regional Championships from Oct. 19-23. The fall season will close during the first weekend of November with the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, the Gopher (Minnesota) Invitational and the Redbird (Illinois State) Invitational.
The spring schedule opens on Jan. 19 against Michigan State (5 p.m.) and features balance in the frequency of matches at home and on the road. The Irish will play no more than five matches in row as either the home or away squad. The Irish will also host five doubleheaders during the season (Jan. 21 vs. Kentucky/Cleveland State; Feb. 25 vs. Ohio State/Toledo; March 10 vs. Louisville/DePaul; March 25 vs. Virginia Tech/IUPUI; April 15 vs. Florida State/Ball State).
The ACC Championships will return this season to the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina, for the fourth time in Notre Dame’s five season in the conference, while the NCAA team and individual tournaments will take place at May 17-28 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
2017-18 Schedule By-The-Numbers
15 – The number of Irish opponents that were ranked in the final 2017 Oracle/ITA Division I Collegiate Rankings
9 – The number of Irish opponents that were ranked in the top 20 of the final 2017 Oracle/ITA Division I Collegiate Rankings;
9 – The number of fall tournaments the Irish are scheduled to compete in
7 – The number of ACC opponents that were ranked in the final 2017 Oracle/ITA Division I Collegiate Rankings
5 – The number of dual match double-headers slated for the spring season
4 – The number of Irish opponents that were ranked in the top 4 of the final 2017 Oracle/ITA Division I Collegiate Rankings
1 – The number of new opponents appearing on the Irish schedule (Cleveland State)
2017-18 Men’s Tennis Schedule
All Times ET
Sept. 15-17 – Napa Valley Classic
Sept. 15-17 – Harvard Chowder Fest
Sept. 22-24 – Crimson Tide 4-In-The-Fall
Sept. 30-Oct. 9 – St. Francis Health System/ITA All-American Championships
Oct. 6-8 – Bobby Bayliss Invitational (@ Notre Dame)
Oct. 19-23 – ITA Midwest Regional Championships
Nov. 2-5 – Oracle ITA National Fall Championships
Nov. 3-5 – Gopher Invitational
Nov. 3-5 – Redbird Invitational
Jan. 19 – vs. Michigan State, 5 p.m.
Jan. 21 – vs. Kentucky, noon; vs. Cleveland State, 5 p.m.
Jan. 27 – @ Texas, 1 p.m. (ITA Kickoff Weekend)
Jan. 28 – vs. Tennessee or Minnesota, TBA (ITA Kickoff Weekend)
Feb. 3 – @ Boston College*, noon
Feb. 11 – @ Northwestern, noon
Feb. 14 – @ Illinois, 6 p.m.
Feb. 23 – vs. Michigan, 5 p.m.
Feb. 25 – vs. Ohio State, noon; vs. Toledo, 5 p.m.
March 10 – vs. Louisville*, noon; vs. DePaul, 5 p.m.
March 15 – @ Texas A&M, 6 p.m.
March 18 – @ Virginia*, 1 p.m.
March 23 – vs. North Carolina*, 3:30 p.m.
March 25 – vs. Virginia Tech*, noon; vs. IUPUI 5 p.m.
March 30 – @ NC State*, 5 p.m.
April 1 – @ Wake Forest*, noon
April 6 – vs. Duke*, 3:30 p.m.
April 13 – vs. Miami (Fla.)*, 3:30 p.m.
April 15 – vs. Florida State*, 11:30 a.m.; vs. Ball State, 4:30 p.m.
April 20 – @ Georgia Tech*, 5 p.m.
April 22 – @ Clemson*, noon
April 25-29 – ACC Championships @ Cary, N.C.
May 14-15 – NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds
May 17-28 – NCAA Championships @ Winston-Salem, N.C.
*Conference Opponent
–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 men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.