Irish look to continue hot start in Kentucky

By ADAM AKAN sports Writer

It’s a new season for n otre d ame men’s tennis. Following a mediocre season last year, the Irish are looking for improvement both in and out of A cc play this year. Irish head coach r yan s achire and his team — filled with savvy veterans and some high-flying freshmen — know that this weekend presents a key opportunity to showcase that improvement.

The Irish have gotten off to a blazing start this season, crushing d ePaul and IUPUI on Jan. 13, sweeping c hicago s tate on the road and winning a 4-3 thriller against Western m ichigan last week at e ck Tennis Pavilion. Their lone defeat came against n orthwestern on Jan. 15 in e vanston.

The Irish will head to Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend to play in the Kentucky r egional of the ITA Kickoff. They are seeded n o. 2 in the tournament and will take on n o. s hould the Irish prevail, they will play the winner of n o. 1 Kentucky and n o.

3 Washington on Friday at 5 p.m. in the opening round. The Irish last played Washington in the second round of the 2013 nc AA c hampionships.

The h uskies won 4-3 in a match that lasted more than four hours.

4 Liberty in the final. The victorious squad will earn a spot in the ITA n ational Indoor c hampionships. That tournament will be hosted by the University of Illinois in February. n otre d ame was last invited to the Kentucky r egional in 2014. That season, they would go on to qualify for the ITA n ational Indoor c hampionships. o verall, s achire has brought the team to the competition three times during his tenure, most recently in 2019.

This weekend’s competition provides a premier opportunity for the Irish to continue their success this season and reach a milestone that they failed to last year. In a season which will be defined by momentum and consistency, playing in these sorts of big-stage matches before A cc play begins will be crucial for the team.

Contact Adam Akan at aakan@nd.edu