April 13, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Though it was a warm 71 degrees today at the Courtney Tennis Center, the Notre Dame men’s team had to play through strong winds on the outdoor courts as they took on No. 28 Florida State. Despite this tough conditions, the Irish triumphed over the Seminoles, 6-1.
“This was a great win today over a good Florida State team,” said head coach Ryan Sachire. “It was very satisfying. Certainly, the fact that all three of our seniors played a big role in what happened today in terms of the win was great. It was also really good for us to play in very windy conditions and to beat a team that’s played a lot of outdoor tennis. Our guys did a great job handling the elements and competing through what seemed to be pretty tough conditions. We’re really proud of the effort, and we’re excited to build off of it moving forward.”
Seniors Matt Dooley and Ryan Bandy teamed up at No. 3 doubles to take down Blake Davis and Christian Gonzalez Mendez, 8-3. Senior Billy Pecor and sophomore Alex Lawson clinched the doubles point at No. 1, defeating Michael Rinaldi and Grayson Goldin, 8-5. At. No. 2, senior Greg Andrews and freshman Josh Hagar’s match against Dominic Cotrone and Marco Nunez was abandoned at 6-5 in favor of the Irish, who had come back from a 1-5 deficit.
Sophomore Quentin Monaghan made quick work of Davis at No. 3 singles, defeating him, 6-2, 6-0. Eric Schnurrenberger was down 5-6 in his first set against Grayson Goldin, but the sophomore came back to win the set in a tiebreaker. He ultimately beat Goldin, 7-6(3), 6-1.
The match was clinched at No. 5 singles by freshman Eddy Covalschi. He beat Rinaldi, 6-4, 6-3, advancing the Irish to 16-8 on the season.
At No. 1, Andrews finished out his match over Cotrone, defeating his opponent, 6-4, 6-3. Hagar beat Nunez in three sets after dropping the first, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Bandy’s was the final match on the court. The senior and Gonzlez Mendez split sets, both of which were won by close tiebreakers, before Gonzalez Mendez took the match in an super-set tiebreaker, 6(4)-7, 7-6(8), 11-9.
Today’s match was also Senior Day for Notre Dame, and each of the team’s three graduating seniors were honored after the action. Over the course of four years, these seniors were a part of nearly 75 wins, and they were instrumental in the team’s BIG EAST Championship last season. This season, they led a team that had a consistent top-10 presence and that was as highly ranked as sixth in the country.
After two years of battling injuries, Matt Dooley, the senior from New Braunfels, TX has been an integral piece of the Notre Dame doubles lineup over the past two seasons. Highlights of Dooley’s career are dual match doubles wins against perennially top programs such as Kentucky, Illinois, and Louisville, along with doubles point clinching wins this season against Michigan State and Miami. Consistently a BIG EAST Conference Academic All-Star, Dooley will graduate in May with a degree in Science-Business and will study medicine next year at the Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.
One of the greatest player development stories in the history of the Notre Dame men’s tennis program, Ryan Bandy has served as a team force the past two seasons. Upon entering the lineup consistently as a junior, Bandy accumulated an 8-4 record at the No. 6 position for the Irish, with highlight wins coming over USC’s Jonny Wang and a 6-3,6-1 dismantling of Louisville’s Van Damrongsri in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship match. As a senior, Bandy has been a stalwart in middle and upper parts of the lineup for the Notre Dame team this season, accumulating a 13-7 record playing at the No. 2, 3 and 4 singles positions. During that time, Bandy has posted a wins over foes from top 20 opponents Ohio State, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi State, Clemson and Wake Forest. Recently named recipient of Notre Dame’s Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award, Bandy will return to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to work for PNC National Bank.
A two-time captain, Greg Andrews is closing out a legendary tennis career at Notre Dame. A BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year, a three-time NCAA Singles Tournament participant and a six-time Collegiate Tennis Grand Slam event participant, Andrews is arguably the most accomplished Fighting Irish player in over a decade and will graduate as one of the greatest players in the history of the program. In addition to the plethora of individual on-court accomplishments and accolades, Andrews’ career is most noted for his dual-match performance in the post-season where he has amassed an 11-2 singles record, with two of those wins coming in a last match on scenario in the NCAA Tournament with the team score deadlocked at 3-3. Andrews’ victories in both of those situations propelled the Fighting Irish deeper into the NCAA Tournament. Off the court, Andrews is just as accomplished. In 2013, Andrews was one of only two tennis players throughout the nation to be named first team Academic All-American, the first in the history of Notre Dame. Carrying a 3.85 GPA, Andrews will graduate with an under-graduate degree in Accountancy and will pursue a career in that field after completing his Masters of Science in Accountancy from the Mendoza College of Business next year.
Singles
1. Greg Andrews (ND) def. Dominic Cotrone (FSU),6-4,
2. Christian Gonzalez Mendez (FSU) def. Ryan Bandy (ND), 6(4)-7, 7-6(8), 11-9
3. Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. Blake Davis (FSU), 6-2, 6-0
4. Josh Hagar (ND) def. Marco Nunez (FSU), 4-6, 6-2
5. Eddy Covalschi (ND) def. Michael Rinaldi (FSU), 6-4, 6-3
6. Eric Schnurrenberger (ND) def. Grayson Goldin (FSU), 7-6(3), 6-1
Doubles
1. Billy Pecor/Alex Lawson (ND) def. Michael Rinaldi/Grayson Goldin (FSU), 8-5
2. Greg Andrews/Josh Hagar (ND) led Dominic Cotrone/Marco Nunez (FSU), 6-5
3. Matt Dooley/Ryan Bandy (ND) def. Blake Davis/Christian Gonzalez Mendez (FSU), 8-3
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
Written features on each of the seniors from this season:
–ND–