Jan. 31, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Notre Dame men’s tennis team swept doubles play and used singles wins from Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hill Christian School) and David Anderson (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) to cruise past the Lobos of New Mexico by a score of 4-1 on Sunday morning. The Irish rebounded from a tough opening-round 4-3 loss to Tulsa at the Indoor Qualifiers to close out the 2010 ITA Kick-off weekend with a win, improving their record to 3-2 on the year.
The 30th-ranked Irish set the tone early, as all three doubles teams claimed wins over 51st-ranked New Mexico. At third doubles, freshman Spencer Talmadge (Hillsborough, Calif./Junipero Serra) and Anderson defeated Joe Wood and Conor Berg by a score of 8-5 to stake the Irish to a 1-0 lead. Then at No. 1 doubles, junior captain Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan) teamed with Watt to clinch the doubles point with an 8-6 win over Phil Anderson and Carl Ho. Havens and sophomore Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland/Blackrock College) completed the Irish sweep with an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles over Ben Dunbar and Jadon Phillips.
The Lobos tied the match at 1-1 when Phil Anderson defeated Michael Moore (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) 6-0, 6-1 at No. 4 singles. But the tie was short-lived as 93rd-ranked Havens reclaimed the Notre Dame lead for good with a 6-4, 6-2 win at his customary No. 2 singles spot.
Anderson gave the Irish a 3-1 lead when he downed Wood in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 at No. 4 singles to improve to 3-0 in 2010 dual season singles play. A resilient Watt then clinched the win for the Irish at No. 1 singles with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Carl Ho. After winning the closely contested first set, 18th-ranked Watt fell behind 1-2 in the second set but rallied to win the next five games to seal the Notre Dame win.
With the overall match decided and the regional final between Tulsa and Ohio State still to be played, Blas Moros’ (Boca Raton, Fla./Pine Crest School) and Samuel Keeton’s (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke Hill School) matches at No. 3 and No. 6 singles were not completed. Keeton had been leading 4-2 in the third set of his match when Watt clinched the win.
The Irish are back on the road next weekend as they travel to Durham, N.C. to take on the 18th-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, February 7 in a noon showdown.
Tennis Match ResultsUniversity of New Mexico vs. Notre DameJan. 31, 2010 at Columbus, Ohio(Varsity Tennis Center)
#30 Notre Dame 4, #51 University of New Mexico 1
Singles1. #18 Casey Watt (ND) def. Carl Ho (NM) 7-5, 6-22. #93 Stephen Havens (ND) def. Jadon Phillips (NM) 6-4, 6-23. #74 Blas Moros (ND) vs. Ben Dunbar (NM) 6-7 (7-9), 3-4, unfinished4. Phil Anderson (NM) def. Michael Moore (ND) 6-0, 6-15. David Anderson (ND) def. Joe Wood (NM) 6-0, 6-46. Samuel Keeton (ND) vs. Conor Berg (NM) 6-4, 3-6, 4-2, unfinished
Doubles1. Tyler Davis/Casey Watt (ND) def. Phil Anderson/Carl Ho (NM) 8-62. Stephen Havens/Niall Fitzgerald (ND) def. Ben Dunbar/Jadon Phillips (NM) 8-63. Spencer Talmadge/David Anderson (ND) def. Joe Wood/Conor Berg (NM) 8-5
Match Notes:University of New Mexico 1-2; National ranking #51Notre Dame 3-2; National ranking #30Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,2,5,1)
— ND —