April 17, 2010
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Fighting Irish men’s tennis team closed out the regular season on a two-match winning streak after it cruised past Navy, 7-0, on Saturday afternoon at Navy’s Hooper Brigade Sports Complex Outdoor Courts. With the win Notre Dame finishes the regular season with a 13-11 mark, while Navy’s record evens at 13-13 on the year. With the win, Notre Dame also improved to 3-2 all-time versus the Midshipmen.
The Irish set the tone early with a doubles sweep, improving to 10-1 on the year when winning the doubles point. Fifty-first ranked Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hill Christian School) and Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) earned the first doubles win at the No. 1 position over Navy’s Owen Bullard and Nicholas Gutsche, 8-2.
Then, at No. 3 doubles, David Anderson (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) and Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) secured the point with an 8-4 win over Eddie Konrad and Jeremy New. At No. 2 doubles, the Irish duo of Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan H.S) and Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland/Blackrock College) downed Nick Birger and Ramsey Lemaich, 8-5.
The Irish took a 2-0 lead when Davis defeated Zach Nicholson in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Davis pushed his dual season singles record to 4-1 with the win. At No. 3 singles, 93rd-ranked Stahl pushed the score to 3-0 when he downed Anderson Walls 6-2, 6-3. Stephen Havens then clinched the win for the Irish by defeating Marcus Rebersak 6-3, 6-2.
Anderson extended it to 5-0 by downing Zach Nicholson at No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-3. Samuel Keeton (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke Hill School) turned in Notre Dame’s next win when he recorded a straight sets victory over Jeremy New 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4 singles. In the only match that reached a third set, Watt made it an Irish sweep, by knocking off Owen Bullard 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Prior to the match, Irish head coach Bobby Bayliss was honored for his historic career, which recently saw him eclipse the 700-win plateau. Bayliss began his career at Navy, where he served as the Navy head coach for 15 years (1970-84). During that time span with Navy, Bayliss compiled an overall record of 248-50 and a 15-0 mark against Army.
“It is a huge thrill for me to be back here,” said Bayliss. “I left a big part of myself in Annapolis. The Naval Academy means a great deal to me. It really molded me with values such as accountability and integrity. The guys I was here with still are a big part of my life. It also is rewarding to see what John [Officer] has been able to do with the program here. It is great to see the facilities that we talked about come to fruition. The Naval Academy will always be special to me.”
Bayliss and the Irish will return home to begin the 2010 postseason as they play host to the 2010 BIG EAST championships, which begin play on Thursday, April 22. Check back with und.com for a preview of the 2010 championship tournament.
#36 Notre Dame 7, Navy 0April 17, 2010 at Annapolis, Md.(Hooper Brigade Sp. Complex Outdoor Courts)
Singles1. #44 Watt, Casey (ND) def. Bullard, Owen (NAVY) 4-6, 6-4, 6-32. Havens, Stephen (ND) def. Rebersak, Marcus (NAVY) 6-3, 6-23. #93 Stahl, Daniel (ND) def. Walls, Anderson (NAVY) 6-2, 6-34. Keeton, Samuel (ND) def. New, Jeremy (NAVY) 7-5, 6-25. Anderson, David (ND) def. Nicholson, Zach (NAVY) 6-1, 6-36. Davis, Tyler (ND) def. Gutsche, Nicholas (NAVY) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles1. #51 Havens, Stephen/Watt, Casey (ND) def. Bullard, Owen/Gutsche, Nicholas (NAVY) 8-22. Davis, Tyler/Fitzgerald, Niall (ND) def. Birger, Nick/Lemaich, Ramsey (NAVY) 8-53. Anderson, David/Stahl, Daniel (ND) def. Konrad, Eddie/New, Jeremy (NAVY) 8-4
Match NotesNotre Dame 13-11; National ranking #36; Regional ranking #5Navy 13-13Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,3,2,5,4,1)
–ND–