Feb. 10, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team will welcome a trio of opponents to the Eck Tennis Pavilion this Saturday and Sunday as the Irish continue their February-long home stint.
Match 7
WHO: #RV Notre Dame (4-2) vs. Boston College (1-2)
WHERE: Eck Tennis Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
WHEN: Noon ET Saturday
Match 8
WHO: #RV Notre Dame vs. No. 17 Illinois (2-2)
WHERE: Eck Tennis Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
WHEN: Noon ET Sunday
Match 9
WHO: #RV Notre Dame vs. Detroit (2-3)
WHERE: Eck Tennis Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
WHEN: 5 p.m. ET Sunday
RESULTS: | | VIDEO: WatchND
On The Eagles
- Boston College enters Saturday’s contest with a 1-2 record, fresh off a win over Georgetown last Saturday. The Eagles fell to mutual opponent William & Mary to open the season (the Irish defeated the tribe 7-0) and also dropped a decision to Brown.
- The Irish are 6-0 all-time against Boston College, including 3-0 under Callaghan Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire. The Irish defeated the Eagles 7-0 last season in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
On The Illini
- Illinois enters the weekend with a 2-2 record, with both losses coming against top-25 teams. The Illini defeated then-No. 25 Arkansas to open the season at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, but fell in the championship to No. 16 Oklahoma. They also split their decisions last week, defeating Duke on Friday before falling to No. 7 North Carolina on Sunday. Illinois will welcome Indiana on Friday before traveling north to meet the Irish.
- The Illini boast three players in the national singles rankings: No. 21 Aron Hiltzik, No. 31 Aleks Vukic and No. 123 Aleksandar Kovacevic.
- The Irish are 24-26 all-time against the Illini and 0-4 under Sachire. The teams met twice last season, with Illinois collecting a 4-0 win during the 2016 ITA Kick-Off Weekend and a 5-2 victory during the regular slate.
On The Titans
- Detroit enters the weekend with a 2-3 record, with wins over Duquesne and Wayne State and losses to Western Michigan, DePaul and Northwestern Ohio. The Titans will meet Ball State on Saturday in Muncie, Indiana, before meeting the Irish on Sunday.
- The Titans are led by Nathan Ponton, who is 4-1 in singles this season at No. 3 singles, and Artem Vasheshnikov, who is 3-1 at No. 2 singles.
- The Irish are 23-0 all-time against the Titans and 2-0 under Sachire. Notre Dame defeated Detroit 7-0 last season.
Last Time Out
The Irish swept Monmouth and William & Mary in identical 7-0 victories last weekend to move to 4-2 on the season. The Irish won at every position in both matches with sophomore Grayson Broadus and freshman Johnathan Small each going 2-0 in both singles and doubles. Freshmen Matt Gamble and Guillermo Cabrera were also 2-0 in singles on the day.
On The Horizon
Seniors Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi are both two doubles wins away from 60 in their career. Sophomore Daniel Rayl is also two wins away from reaching 25 career singles victories. Hagar is four singles victories away from his 70th career win.
Rankings Rundown
Notre Dame remains second in the receiving votes category of this week’s Oracle/ITA Division I Men’s Tennis Rankings. The Irish also boast two players in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men’s Tennis Rankings. Seniors Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi jumped four spots to No. 6 in the national doubles rankings, having gone 13-4 on the season, including 3-1 in dual play this spring. Hagar dropped to No. 34 in the national singles rankings, with a 2-2 record in dual competition.
Keeping Up With The Irish
All indoor home matches will be streamed live on WatchND. Live scoring will be available for all home tennis matches at UND.com, with links for each match available on the men’s tennis schedule page. Live match updates will also be shared on the team’s Twitter account, @NDMensTennis.
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For the latest on all things Irish men’s tennis, follow @NDMensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Men’s Tennis on Facebook.
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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.