Oct. 7, 1999
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After making its ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA championship and winning its second BIG EAST Conference championship in 1999, the Notre Dame men’s tennis team hopes for greater success in 1999-2000 with the return of the bulk of its lineup and another talented freshman class. Lost to graduation are Brian Patterson and Andy Warford, but 13th-year head coach Bob Bayliss welcomes back four of the top six players, including two-time All-American Ryan Sachire, as part of a determined group of returning individuals.
“We will miss the leadership of two great people in Brian Patterson and Andy Warford but they left behind values, some which already have come to fruition this year,” says Bayliss. “I have never coached a team whose players made the commitment to play as extensively as our players did last summer. They came back to school very sharp and hungry.”
The Irish will be hungry to improve upon their NCAA first-round loss to Harvard that finished their 1998-99 season with a 16-8 record. A thrilling come-from-behind win at Miami to win the ’99 BIG EAST title highlighted a season that also included the excitement of Bayliss’ 500th career win.
“Last year we were really close to being quite good,” says Bayliss. “We held 3-2 leads and served for the match against some teams, only to let the matches slip away. Because we played four freshmen in significant roles, that type of situation is to be expected. This year, though, we expect to win those matches.”
Leading the Irish to these wins will be Sachire, the preseason second-ranked singles player in the country and captain of the 1999-2000 Irish. Sachire returns to Notre Dame after spending his second straight summer playing on the professional satellite tour as a member of the United States Tennis Association USA Tennis Collegiate Team with five other promising American college tennis players. He already has been ranked as high as 695th in singles and reached the doubles semifinal last summer at a St. Joseph, Mo., event with Patterson.
He enters his senior year after reaching the final of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships to join former Irish All-American David DiLucia in becoming the only players to reach a collegiate grand slam final in Notre Dame men’s tennis history. He followed up that showing by winning the consolation singles title at another grand slam event, the Rolex Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. Just as impressive as his individual results, Sachire enters his senior year with a 60-14 singles record in his three years at No. 1 singles.
“Ryan Sachire has learned how to play with a bull’s-eye on his back,” says Bayliss. “After being ranked second for most of last year, he now relishes the challenge of defending what he has accomplished. It’s the toughest lesson to learn in college sports. Building is easy but maintaining what you’ve built is much tougher. The key is in realizing that you have to establish goals and never think about your past successes as something you need to duplicate.”
While the Irish will depend on Sachire to turn in another 30-plus singles win season, the play of senior Trent Miller will be a strong indicator of the team’s success. Miller will be reunited as Sachire’s doubles partner after the pair went 14-6 at No. 2 doubles in 1997 as freshmen. They will begin their senior years as the preseason 25th-ranked team in the country.
“One of our keys this year will be Trent Miller,” says Bayliss. “We’re counting on him to become the impact doubles player at No. 1 that we need to secure that position. He is as athletic as anyone we’ve ever had but he needs to play with discipline and purpose. Only then can his athleticism be channeled positively.”
Miller rejoined the Irish last year and brought his great serve and forehand and aggressive style to the court to finish 11-12 at No. 2 doubles with three different partners. He teamed with Matt Horsley to open the season and won five of the first six matches with wins against Kentucky, Duke, Northwestern and Boise State. After playing three matches with Warford, Miller was paired with Javier Taborga for the final nine matches of ’99.
Senior Rob Warn looks to break into the lineup in his final season at Notre Dame. The lefty hopes to use his all-court game to contribute to the team.
Matt Daly stands out among the junior class after compiling a 16-8 record, predominantly at No. 3 singles, in his first year in the lineup. He looks to begin his junior year as he ended his sophomore year with wins in 11 of his final 15 matches, including a straight set win over Harvard’s 48th-ranked Kunj Majmudar in the NCAA first round. Daly’s strong groundstrokes and mental toughness helped him win 25 singles matches last year, second only to Sachire.
Mark Overdevest played in one dual singles match last year against Duke and hopes that another year of hard work and improvement has readied him for regular contributions to the Irish lineup. He adds a strong forehand and serve to Notre Dame as one of the team’s most dedicated players.
Ricky Buhrman and Ashok Raju also look for expanded roles as juniors. After transferring to Notre Dame from Holy Cross College, Buhrman played in just one singles match last year. Raju honed his game while playing the ’99 ITA College Summer Circuit after he went 2-4 in singles as a sophomore.
As one of Notre Dame’s deepest and most talented classes under Bayliss, the members of the class of 2002 came in as freshmen last year and were thrown directly into the challenges of collegiate tennis. They combined for a 30-22 singles mark and 23-19 doubles record in dual matches and look for even greater success after a year of experience.
“Last year’s freshmen were forced into on-the-job training, but they are now seasoned sophomores,” says Bayliss. “I expect this class to lead us back to an elite level, hopefully beginning this year. They can be a special group – like the class of 1993 – but they need to become leaders now.”
Andrew Laflin finished third on the team in singles wins, playing most of ’99 at No. 4 singles. The lefty combined his unique talent for taking the ball on the rise and playing consistently to finish 14-6 in dual singles matches. Laflin posted dual-match wins against Texas, Minnesota and Ball State and won three matches to clinch wins for the Irish.
Like Daly, Casey Smith hopes to pick up where his freshman year ended, on a six-match winning streak at No. 5 singles. After struggling through March and early April with four three-set losses, including three consecutive 7-5 third-set losses, Smith won a pair of 7-5 third sets during his season-ending streak. He went 3-0 at No. 4 singles at the BIG EAST championship, with a three-set win in the championship match against Miami to tie the team score at 3-3. Smith used his improved shotmaking in the summer to win an ITA Summer Circuit event at Georgia Tech. He also worked on his game on the USTA professional satellite tour, reaching the second round of the Godfrey, Ill., event before losing to the eventual champion.
Taborga gave the Irish a boost mostly at No. 2 doubles but made the most of his limited singles appearances. He won perhaps the team’s most exciting match of the year breaking, a 3-3 tie with his 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 win over Miami’s Joel Berman to clinch the BIG EAST championship for the Irish in his only three-set singles dual match of the year. His strong lefty serve proved effective in teaming with Miller at No. 2 doubles.
Aaron Talarico looks for an expanded role as a sophomore after providing the Irish with solid play in a reserve role. He twice played as a substitute in singles in dual matches and used his quickness and shotmaking ability for a 7-4 record in dual-match doubles. He teamed with Sachire at No. 1 doubles for a 1-0 record at the ’99 BIG EAST championship in place of an injured Patterson. He and Smith went 2-0 at No. 3 doubles against Michigan and Ball State. Smith and Taborga beat Baylor’s 11th-ranked David Hodge and Johann Jooste in the fall and doubles teams from Miami and Iowa in the spring.
Adrian Hidaka, James Malhame and Jimmy Rogers also look to join their sophomore classmates in contributing during the 1999-2000 season. Hidaka benefited greatly from a year of experience at the collegiate level. Malhame improved his game while playing on the USTA professional satellite tour last summer. Rogers joined the team as a walkon last year and reached the semifinals of the ITA Summer Circuit event at Notre Dame.
Bayliss also will point to members of Notre Dame’s class of 2003 for contributions in their freshman seasons. Brian Farrell enters Notre Dame with a strong backhand and already has proven his ability to play on the collegiate tennis level after winning an ITA Summer Circuit event this past summer at East Tennessee State. Jake Cram’s serve and volley game should provide a boost to the Irish doubles lineup, while Bryan Acken’s penetrating forehand and big serve should aid the Irish. Chancey Martin, a high school teammate of Acken, also brings powerful groundstrokes to the team. Tim Giattina and Tim Moss also could contribute.
In addition to necessary contributions from the freshman class, Bayliss sees other points of emphasis for the Irish.
“Our doubles needs to improve in 2000,” says Bayliss. “Last year the loss of Matt Horsley in mid-year left us scrambling and we never really adjusted. Last year’s tough lessons in doubles are going to be building blocks to success in 2000. Another key will be the emergence of someone who did not play regularly in singles last year to become an impact player in 2000 – much like Matt Daly did last year. Key candidates are Mark Overdevest, Aaron Talarico, Trent Miller, James Malhame and Brian Farrell.”
Awaiting the Irish is a perennially-challenging schedule that includes Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Texas and Washington and a fall match against USC.
“There is really no one on our schedule whom we cannot beat,” says Bayliss. “I believe we can put it all together this season if our impact players stay healthy. Ryan Sachire is as good as anyone in the country. Last year’s freshmen grew up a lot and will be heard from in 2000. I know we have the talent and the enthusiasm, but talk is cheap and January will show us how far we have come.”