Feb. 11, 2018
By Joanne Norell
EVANSTON, Ill. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team continued its season-opening winning streak Sunday, defeating non-conference rival Northwestern 5-1 at the Combe Tennis Center to improve to 7-0 on the season.
The Irish are off to their best start since the 1983 season, when the team opened the year 12-0.
How It Happened
Northwestern (2-5) won the doubles point after competitive matches on all three courts. The Wildcats took the first match on Court 2 as Nick Brookes and Michael Lorenzini defeated Alex Lebedev and William Howells 6-4, and the remaining matches went into ties at 5-5. It was Northwestern that was able to get the deciding break on Court 1, however, with Dominik Stary and Ben Vandixhorn defeating Brendon Kempin and Tristan McCormick 7-5.
It was all Irish in singles, though, as Notre Dame won on five courts before the match was decided. The 28th-ranked Lebedev downed Stary at the No. 1 spot, winning 6-4, 6-2, while freshman Richard Ciamarra followed with his seventh win of the season, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 over Vandixhorn. McCormick made it 3-1 in favor of Notre Dame, winning 6-4, 7-6 over Brookes on Court 3.
Junior Grayson Broadus clinched the victory for the Irish, defeating AJ Joshi 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Matt Gamble put the final point on the board for Notre Dame with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Jason Seidman.
Notes To Know
- Richard Ciamarra leads the Irish with a 7-0 dual singles record in 2018, while Grayson Broadus improved to 6-0 on the season. Alex Lebedev is 4-0 this year.
- Lebedev improved to 6-0 in his career at No. 1 singles.
- The 7-0 start is the best for an Irish men’s tennis team since 1983, when the Irish started the season 12-0.
- The Irish are 49-36-1 all time against Northwestern, including 3-1 under Callaghan Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire.
Up Next
The Irish will return to the court Feb. 16-19 when they compete at the ITA Division I National Men’s Team Indoor Championship, hosted by the University of Washington.
No. 22/17 Notre Dame 5, Northwestern 1
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill.
Singles
1. No. 28 Alex Lebedev (ND) def. Dominik Stary (NU) 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 118 Guillermo Cabrera (ND) vs. No. 92 Antonioni Fasano (NU) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0, unfinished
3. Tristan McCormick (ND) def. Nick Brookes (NU) 6-4, 7-6
4. Richard Ciamarra (ND) def. Ben Vandixhorn (NU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
5. Matt Gamble (ND) def. Jason Seidman (NU) 6-4, 7-5
6. Grayson Broadus (ND) def. AJ Joshi (NU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
1. Dominik Stary / Ben Vandixhorn (NU) def. Brendon Kempin / Tristan McCormick (ND) 7-5
2. Nick Brookes / Michael Lorenzini (NU) def. Alex Lebedev / William Howells (ND) 6-4
3. Richard Ciamarra / Matt Gamble (ND) vs. Antonioni Fasano / Chris Ephron (NU) 5-6, unfinished
–ND–
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.