April 12, 2018
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team will close out its 2018 home slate this weekend, welcoming Miami on Friday and Florida State and Ball State on Sunday as the regular season enters its final two weekends.
Match 25
WHO: No. 28 Notre Dame (13-11, 4-4 ACC) vs. No. 42 Miami (12-8, 3-5 ACC)
WHERE: Courtney Tennis Center
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. ET Friday
Match 26
WHO: No. 28 Notre Dame vs. No. 13 Florida State (23-2, 7-1 ACC)
WHERE: Courtney Tennis Center
WHEN: 11:30 A.m. ET Sunday
Match 27
WHO: No. 28 Notre Dame vs. Ball State (13-8)
WHERE: Courtney Tennis Center
WHEN: 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday
A Weather Note
Each match is scheduled to be played outdoors at the Courtney Tennis Center. The matches will be played outdoors unless inclement weather prevents it. According to Intercollegiate Tennis Association rules: “Matches shall be played outdoors unless the projected weather forecast for a minimum of:
- two hours out of a three-hour time period in Division I
- two hours out of a four-hour time period for all other divisions
from the start of the match, according to www.weather.com is:
a. A high of less than 50°; or
b. Sustained winds (not including wind gusts) of more than 20 miles per hour.
c. If the outdoor conditions have changed by the end of the doubles play, it is understood that both coaches and the Referee may agree to move the match indoors. If play is suspended at any other point during the match due to weather, play must resume outdoors within one hour of the delay. If this is not possible, matches must be moved indoors.”
As of Thursday morning, the forecast for Friday is a high of 72° with a 40 percent chance of rain and wind gusts of 17-21 miles per hour. Sunday’s forecast calls for a high of 43° with a 100 percent chance of rain. Be sure to follow @NDMensTennis on Twitter for the most updated information on the location of each match.
Senior Send-Off
Notre Dame will honor is 2018 senior class Friday following the conclusion of the match against Miami, as Drew Dawson and Brendon Kempin appear at home for the final time this weekend.
On The Hurricanes
Miami enters Friday’s match having won four of its last five matches, including over then-No. 38 Louisville and No. 43 Virginia. In their last outing, the Hurricanes fell to Virginia Tech 7-0, while the Irish defeated the Hokies 7-0 on March 25. Miami’s Adria Soriano Barrera ranks at No. 97 in the ITA singles rankings, while Christian Langmo comes in at No. 118. Barrera and Langmo collectively rank at No. 18 in the national doubles poll.
On The Seminoles
No. 13 Florida State will face Boston College on Thursday before ending the weekend against the Irish. The Seminoles have dropped just two matches this season, to Virginia Tech and then-No. 11 Baylor, and are 7-1 against nationally ranked opponents (including a win over No. 1 Wake Forest). Leading FSU in the rankings are No. 20 Guy Iradukunda (15-3 between No. 1, 2 and 3 singles), No. 34 Lucas Poullain (19-1 between No. 2 and 3 singles) and No. 67 Aziz Dougaz (15-4 at No. 1 and No. 2 singles). In doubles, No. 29 Iradukunda and Alex Knaff are 3-0 at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles; No. 43 Jose Gracia and Poullain are 6-7 at the top two spots; and No. 86 Iradukunda and Dougaz are 8-6 on the top two courts.
On The Cardinals
Ball State will come into Sunday’s match fully rested, it being the only match of the weekend for the Cardinals. Ball State has lost three of their last four competitions, but bounced back Wednesday with a 5-2 win over IUPUI. The Irish and Cardinals have shared four opponents this season – Cleveland State, IUPUI, Michigan State and Toledo – with the Irish going 4-0 against those teams and Ball State posting a 3-1 mark (losing to Michigan State).
Last Time Out
The Irish avenged a 4-3 loss to Duke from earlier this season, defeating the Blue Devils 5-2 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion last Friday. After winning the doubles point thanks to victories on Courts 1 and 3, the Irish got wins from Alex Lebedev, Richard Ciamarra, Grayson Broadus and Guillermo Cabrera in singles. Broadus provided the clincher in both doubles and singles, winning with Ciamarra on Court 3 doubles before defeating Ryan Dickerson in three sets on Court 6 singles to give the Irish the victory.
Rankings Rundown
The Irish came in at No. 28 in this week’s Oracle/ITA Division I Men’s National Team Rankings, up two spots from last week. Junior Alex Lebedev rose 19 spots to No. 36 in the most recent ITA singles rankings.
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For the latest on all things Irish men’s tennis, follow @NDMensTennis on Twitter and ndmenstennis on Instagram 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 men’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to assisting with football communications and 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.