North Carolina
Notre Dame
No. 19 UNC Overpowers No. 35 Notre Dame 5-2
April 5, 2015 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 19th-ranked North Carolina men's tennis team added its fifth ACC victory on Easter Sunday, topping No. 35 Notre Dame 5-2 at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The Tar Heels move to 16-8 (5-3 ACC), while the Fighting Irish fall to 12-9 (4-5 ACC).
Carolina went up 1-0 after earning the doubles point on courts two and three.
On court two, junior Brett Clark and freshman Robert Kelly improved to 10-2 in dual matches by cruising past Notre Dame's 22nd-ranked pair of Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar. UNC's sophomore duo of Jack Murray and Ronnie Schneider then sealed the doubles point by fending off a rally from the Irish's Dougie Barnard and Quentin Monaghan at the No. 3 spot, 8-5.
The Tar Heels proceeded to put the match away in singles, nabbing three of the first four matches to finish.
Brett Clark, ranked No. 69 nationally, gave the Heels a 2-0 lead by dismissing Eddy Covalschi 6-0, 6-2 on court three. No. 99 Robert Kelly added to the lead for the Tar Heels, tallying his 26th singles victory of the season in a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Kenneth Sabacinski on court six.
The Irish did have a counter thanks to 17th-ranked Quentin Monaghan. The Notre Dame junior bested 12th-ranked Brayden Schnur in three sets on court one, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.
However, No. 24 Ronnie Schneider secured the match for UNC with a gritty performance against Josh Hagar on court two. After taking the first set 6-3, Schneider withstood a long rally to break Hagar and tie up the second set 3-3. The Bloomington, Ind. native then ran off three more games to finish off a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Following Schneider's win, the crowd of more than 150 people directed its attention to Jack Murray on court four and senior Oystein Steiro on court five. Steiro fell to the Irish's Alex Lawson in a tough match 7-5, 6-3, but Murray wrapped up proceedings by notching a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Billy Pecor.
The Tar Heels return to action on Thursday when fifth-ranked Duke visits for Senior Day. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
#19 North Carolina 5, #35 Notre Dame 2
Singles competition
1. #17 Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. #12 Brayden Schnur (UNC) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
2. #24 Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. Josh Hagar (ND) 6-3, 6-3
3. #69 Brett Clark (UNC) def. Eddy Covalschi (ND) 6-0, 6-2
4. Jack Murray (UNC) def. Billy Pecor (ND) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Alex Lawson (ND) def. Oystein Steiro (UNC) 7-5, 6-3
6. #99 Robert Kelly (UNC) def. Kenneth Sabacinski (ND) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #27 Esben Hess-Olesen/Oystein Steiro (UNC) vs. #9 Alex Lawson/Billy Pecor (ND) 6-6, unfinished
2. Brett Clark/Robert Kelly (UNC) def. #22 Eddy Covalschi/Josh Hagar (ND) 8-1
3. Jack Murray/Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. Dougie Barnard/Quentin Monaghan (ND) 8-5
Match Notes:
Notre Dame 12-9 (4-5 ACC); National ranking #35
North Carolina 16-8 (5-3 ACC); National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,6,1,2,5,4)
Weather: partly cloudy, 63 degrees
T-3:10 A-164
Players Mentioned
