Senior Wyatt McCoy is the No. 2 seed in the singles qualifying bracket that begins Thursday.

October 15, 2014

Men's Tennis Ready For USTA/ITA Midwest Regionals

Oct. 15, 2014

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team heads to Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend for the 2014 United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Championships at Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center.

Twelve of Notre Dame’s 13 student-athletes will participate in the elite tournament, with junior Quentin Monaghan the only holdout as he recovers from an illness.

The singles tournament consists of a qualifying round of 64 players that begins at 8 a.m. (ET) Thursday. The final eight players advance to the first round of the main draw, which begins at 3 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, the doubles tournament gets underway at 1 p.m. Friday.

The second round, round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals of both tournaments are set for Saturday and Sunday before wrapping up Monday with both championships matches.

Winners of the singles and doubles bracket will secure a spot at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships that begin November 6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

Second-year head coach Ryan Sachire highlighted the significance of the tournament, with his players competing for berths at the indoor national championships.

“There’s a bit of an extra buzz because there are some really good opportunities for our guys,” Sachire says. “Everybody from our team who’s playing in the event has a chance to win the tournament.”

Sachire also believes the tournament provides his team an opportunity to see where it stacks up against the region’s best competition.

“It’s somewhat of a measuring stick event,” Sachire says. “Everybody wants to flex their muscle a little bit.”

At the same time, he’s looking forward to seeing the results of the hard work his players put in during the summer.

“More importantly, it’s an opportunity for each individual guy to express the development he’s made and the improvement he’s made,” Sachire says. “It’s a chance for them all to do really well.”

Other teams competing include Michigan, Chicago State, Cleveland State, DePaul, Detroit, Illinois, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, IPFW, Marquette, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Toledo, Valparaiso, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Youngstown State.

To track the Irish players’ progress at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships, stay tuned to UND.com, Facebook.com/NDMensTennis and Twitter (@NDMensTennis).

Live stats and live video are both available through the tournament central link at the top of the article. It’s recommended to use Internet Explorer to follow live stats.

ITA Midwest Regional Championship Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 16
8 a.m. — Qualifying Singles First Round
11:30 a.m. — Qualifying Singles Second Round

Friday, Oct. 17
8 a.m. — Qualifying Singles Round of 16 (eight players will qualify for main draw)
1 p.m. – Main Draw Doubles First Round
3 p.m. – Singles Main Draw First Round

Saturday, Oct. 18
8 a.m. – – Singles Main Draw Second Round
1 p.m. — Singles Main Draw Round of 16
4 p.m. — Doubles Main Draw Second Round
6 p.m. — Doubles Main Draw Round of 16

Sunday, Oct. 19
9 a.m. — Singles Main Draw Quarterfinals
12:30 p.m. — Singles Main Draw Semifinals
4 p.m. — Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinals
6 p.m. — Doubles Main Draw Semifinals

Monday, Oct. 20
9 a.m. — Singles Main Draw Championship
11 a.m. — Doubles Main Draw Championship

IRISH COMPETING

Singles Qualifier

Brendon Kempin (No. 1 Seed Qualfiying Draw)

Wyatt McCoy (No. 2 Seed Qualfiying Draw)

Billy Pecor

Michael Fredericka

Drew Dawson (No. 9 Seed Qualfiying Draw)

Singles Main Draw

Alex Lawson

Eric Schnurrenberger

Josh Hagar (No. 9 Seed Singles Draw)