Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 21, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Ryan Sachire is considered one of the top Notre Dame men's tennis play- ers in the history of the program (1997-200). He participated in four NCAA Singles Championships and was a three-time All-American (singles, 1998-2000). He took over as head coach at his alma mater in 2013 after being an assistant/associate head coach from 2006-13 and has continued building the program since being at the helm. BGI: How would you rate the team's performance this fall? Sachire: "I was really, really pleased with our fall. We had a lot of turnover on our roster from last spring to this fall. We gradu- ated five high-end impact players and brought in five freshmen. For a tennis team, that is a significant part of the roster. "So I expected some growing pains and teaching moments for them. We certainly had our fair share of those, but from a contribution and culture perspective our freshmen did an amazing job with what we've built over the last few years in terms of culture." BGI: Did a player come out of nowhere and surprise you with his play? Sachire: "I don't know if anyone came out of nowhere. Certainly redshirt freshman, technically academic sophomore, Alex Lebedev was on the team last year, but was injured and couldn't play. "We knew how good he was and we expected him to do well. … I think Alex what he did was assert himself as a top half of the lineup player and proved to himself he can be really successful at a national level in college tennis." BGI: Who were you most impressed by this fall and their play? Sachire: "Josh Hagar. He's a senior and he's been in our lineup all three years he's been here. But, with the graduation of Quentin Monaghan, who was our No. 1 player the last two years, Josh has never been in the focal position at the top of our lineup. "We haven't played in dual matches yet, but I fully expect Josh to start the [spring] at No. 1 for us. He's playing the best tennis of his life right now." BGI: What player maybe needs to take the next step in the spring? Sachire: "Another senior, Eddy Covalschi. He's been a consis- tent starter for us for three years. I don't think he's quite bro- ken through to the level he can ultimately play at, especially on a consistent basis. "I think that would make a huge difference for our team if Eddy can complement Josh in the top half of the lineup and be a significant winner for us in the spring." BGI: What does the team need to do better in the spring season? Sachire: "I think a big thing is taking care of the little things. Last year, we had a really talented team and high expectations. "We did have some great results, but I think the consistency component wasn't quite where we wanted it to be because we were consistently dealing with injuries. It seemed like we were always playing a man or two down." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … HEAD MEN'S TENNIS COACH RYAN SACHIRE The L.A. Coliseum Is A House Of Horrors By Lou Somogyi Prior to the start of the 2016 season, there was a popular notion that USC was maybe the only team on the Notre Dame schedule that possessed more individual and deeper talent than the Irish. Unfortunately, even after a stunning 3-6 start by the Irish, that probably still holds true. Although USC had a miserable 1-3 start like Notre Dame, notably a 52-6 annihilation ver- sus Alabama in the opener and a 27-10 thump- ing from Stanford (who defeated the Irish only 17-10), the Trojans present the most daunting challenge, even though Nov. 19 opponent Vir- ginia Tech has been ranked higher. USC also will have had to come off consecutive games at unbeaten Washington and then cross-town rival UCLA. It's not easy to play at an emotional fervor three weeks in a row. Nevertheless, any longtime Notre Dame fol- lower knows the horrors that often occur in the Los Angeles Coliseum, most recently the 49-14 defeat in 2014 when the Irish were reeling amid a four-game losing streak. With the kind of season it's been at Notre Dame combined with a lethal USC passing attack led by quarterback Sam Darnold and a deep corps of receiv- ers headlined by JuJu Smith-Schuster — never mind a ground game where its top two rushers average 6.8 and 6.4 yards per carry — this has the makings of a 2014 onslaught. Virginia Tech will present a strong challenge of its own, but Senior Day at home is a lot more favorable than traveling to Los Angeles with a sub-.500 record. Virginia Tech Will Be A Tougher Matchup By Bryan Driskell If we are talking about pure talent, I don't think there is much doubt that USC has the most of that on Notre Dame's schedule. There is a lot more to being a good football team than just talent, which is why Virginia Tech is the toughest opponent left on the schedule for Notre Dame. The Hok- ies have plenty of talent, but the matchups they present to Notre Dame could be more challenging. Virginia Tech has an explosive offense that can beat teams on the ground and through the air. The Hokies returned talented weapons in athletic wide receiver Isaiah Ford, talented pass catcher Bucky Hodges and 1,000-yard rusher Travon McMillian. It also returned one of the top offensive lines on Notre Dame's schedule. What it lacked was a quarterback to make it go, one that could execute new head coach Justin Fuente's spread offense. Junior-college transfer Jerod Evans has been outstanding under center, and his arrival has been the biggest difference for the Hokies. Evans is a dynamic dual-threat signal-caller that led Virginia Tech in rushing through nine games (533 yards). His 21-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio during that stretch is outstanding. What makes this matchup even tougher for Notre Dame is Bud Foster's at- tacking defense. Foster is going to throw a lot of pressures at a Notre Dame line that allowed 21 sacks in the first nine games. USC's defensive scheme will present challenges, but Notre Dame matches up a bit better against the Trojans on that side of the ball. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT WILL BE THE MORE DIFFICULT GAME TO CLOSE THE REGULAR SEASON: VIRGINIA TECH OR USC? Sachire, a former Irish All- American, took over the men's tennis program in 2013 after being a longtime assistant. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Notre Dame lost its last appearance at the L.A. Coliseum, a 49-14 blowout in 2014 that saw the Irish allow 577 yards of offense. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA