Oct. 21, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a pair of heartbreaking matches today, the Irish got as close as they could to the singles and doubles crowns before ultimately falling short. Notre Dame made it into the finals of both brackets at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, hosted by Ohio State University at the Varsity Tennis Center and Racquet Club.
Senior Greg Andrews entered the singles semifinals early this morning, taking down the ninth-seeded Hunter Callahan of Ohio State in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. He then moved on to the finals, where he faced the No. 1 seed, Peter Kobelt, also of Ohio State. Andrews lost the first set but came back to reclaim the second before losing the third set in a 7-2 tiebreaker. Kobelt won the match, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(2).
Andrews had also advanced to the doubles finals as of yesterday with partner sophomore Alex Lawson. Andrews would have to face Kobelt yet again, as he and his partner, Kevin Metka, were also in the finals. The match would once again come down to a tiebreaker. Andrews and Lawson fell to the Ohio State team, 8-7(5).
“Big picture perspective, the weekend was a successful trip for our team,” said head coach Ryan Sachire. “Having five singles players in the round of 16 and being represented in the finals of both singles and the doubles are great accomplishments for our team. But it’s tough to see that big picture right now after such close matches when we could have been the winners of both the singles and doubles championship.”
Sachire emphasizes that despite the disappointment the team feels right now, the performances they gave this weekend show what this team can do how far they can go.”
“We played well and a lot of guys stepped up and played the best tennis of their lives this weekend,” Sachire added. “We’re always striving for improvement, so we’re excited to play even better this weekend in Texas and in Florida.”
The Irish squad will be split between two tournaments this weekend–the USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational in Orlando, Fla., and the UT Invitational in Austin, Texas. As always, fans can stay updated with Irish play here at UND.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
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