Sept. 17, 2015
Oracle/ITA Masters – Live Scoring
Oracle/ITA Masters Singles Dra 
Oracle/ITA Masters Doubles Dra Ivy Plus Draws
Duke James Bonk Invite – Draw
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The fall season will begin in full force this weekend for the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team, with the Irish scattering to three separate tournaments around the country: the Oracle/ITA Masters (Malibu, California), the Princeton Ivy Plus Tournament (Princeton, New Jersey) and the Duke James Bonk Invitational (Cary, N.C.).
Here are the five things you should know as the Irish get set to kick off the 2015-16 campaign:
Oracle/ITA Masters: Seniors Quentin Monaghan and Alex Lawson will officially kick off the collegiate tennis season when the pair compete at the inaugural Oracle/ITA Masters. The event, which will be held at the Malibu Racquet Club in Malibu, California, will feature a 16-player singles tournament and an eight-duo doubles competition. Monaghan, who enters the season ranked No. 5 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings after making a run to the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship last season, will compete in both singles and doubles draws, and is guaranteed three matches in each. He will join Lawson in the doubles field as the wild card entry, as the pair will enter the tournament ranked No. 28 in the preseason doubles rankings. Draws will be made available once they are completed.
Combining Their Strengths: Though with limited experience as doubles partners, Monaghan and Lawson bring their own personal strengths to what they hope will be a lasting match on the court this season. Monaghan’s dominance as a singles player throughout his career has manifested itself in appearances on the highest collegiate stages, including last season’s NCAA Singles Championship semifinal. Lawson, meanwhile, has made two trips to the NCAA Doubles Championship, first with Greg Andrews (’14) as a sophomore and, last season, with Billy Pecor (’15). Lawson and Pecor became the first Notre Dame doubles tandem to advance to the Round of 16 since 1998, and spent the majority of the year ranked inside the top 15.
Rankings: Four men’s tennis student-athletes appeared in the first Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, with two appearing in both singles and doubles polls. In addition to Monaghan and his No. 5 ranking, junior Josh Hagar will enter the season ranked No. 114 in singles. Hagar also makes an appearance in the doubles rankings with classmate Eddy Covalschi, coming in at No. 10. Hagar and Covalschi played together throughout the 2014-15 season, compiling a 17-12 record to go with the ITA Midwest Regional Doubles crown, and ended the year at No. 35. Monaghan and Lawson enter the season ranked No. 28 in doubles.
Duke James Bonk Invitational: Four Irish tennis players will travel to Cary, North Carolina, to compete at the James Bonk Invitational hosted by Duke University on Friday through Sunday. Covalschi, senior Kenneth Sabacinski, sophomore Brendon Kempin and freshman Nathan Griffin will compete in both singles and doubles, with Covalschi pairing with Sabacinski and Kempin joining Griffin in the doubles draw. Action will begin at 8 a.m. ET Friday and continue through Sunday.
Ivy Plus Tournament: The rest of the Irish contingent will travel to Princeton, New Jersey, to compete at the Ivy Plus Tournament, with seniors Nicolas Montoya and Eric Schnurrenberger; sophomore Drew Dawson; and freshmen Daniel Rayl, Grayson Broadus and Alex Lebedev competing. The Ivy Plus, which was traditionally played in conjunction with the Farnsworth Invitational until this season, will feature student-athletes from 22 schools, with eight singles flights and four doubles flights. Play will start at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Draws will be made available once they are completed.
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Joanne Norell, Athletics Communications Assistant
-ND-