NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Once again proving its competitive force as a team, Notre Dame defeated Virginia Tech in a tough match at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The win came down to the final match on court No. 3, where freshman Josh Hagar pulled out a 4-3 win for the Irish.
To start the night, Notre Dame continued its pattern of being dominant in doubles, with Hagar and partner senior Billy Pecor quickly dismantling Amerigo Contini and Florian Nicoud 8-1 on court No. 2 and senior Greg Andrews and sophomore Alex Lawson defeating Andreas Bjerrehus and Hunter Koontz 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. Senior Ryan Bandy and sophomore Eric Schnurrenberger's match against Jai Corbett and Joao Monteiro was left unfinished on court No. 3 to start singles matches.
Sophomore Quentin Monaghan beat Bjerrehus in consecutive sets at No. 2 6-4, 6-2, and after winning the first set in a tiebreak, freshman Eddy Covalschi didn't drop even a game against Aaron Gomez in the second. He won his match at No. 5 7-6(3), 6-0.
From there, things got a little closer for the Irish. Although they had a 3-0 lead in the match, Schnurrenberger, Andrews and Bandy all dropped close matches to their Virginia Tech opponents. The outcome of the match rested on the shoulders of Hagar, who lost his first set to Koontz in a tiebreaker, but then came back to win the next two sets, dropping only one game. He won his match, 6(5)-7, 6-0, 6-1.
"Josh had a great night," Notre Dame coach Ryan Sachire said. "The kid is a stud. He's way more mature than your typical freshman. He's a guy that you believe in coming down the stretch because he believes in himself. He did show that confidence and composure and the determination to get the job done tonight. The kid that he played hasn't lost all season, and Josh was really able to step up."
