March 6, 2004
LA JOLLA, Calif. – The 46th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team saw the last of its teams eliminated from the main draw in the Pacific Coast Doubles Classic Saturday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The pair of sophomore Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and freshman Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) advanced to the consolation semifinals, which will be contested Sunday morning at 9 a.m. (PST).
Junior tri-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) and freshman Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.), Notre Dame’s No. 1 doubles team, turned in the best performance for the Irish. The team reached the quarterfinals before falling 6-4, 6-4 to Patrick Briaud and Hungarian Balazs Veress, the No. 1 team for #29 California.
Irish senior tri-captains Luis Haddock (Caguas, P.R./Notre Dame H.S.) and Matthew Scott (Oakton, Va./International School of Paris) nearly pulled off an upset in their second match of the tournament, but eventually lost in three sets to former USC All-Americans Ryan Moore and Nick Rainey, the top doubles team for the Trojans’ 2002 national championship team. Haddock and Scott broke early in the final set to take a 2-0 lead before Moore and Rainey, who were ranked No. 1 during their collegiate days prior to turning pro, rallied to win the decisive frame 6-3.
In addition to Langenkamp and Bass playing in consolation action, Notre Dame will play a dual match at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with Saint Joseph’s on Sunday at 10 a.m. (PST) in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Gene Miller, one of the Hawks’ assistant coaches, played for Irish head coach Bob Bayliss at Navy, graduating in 1979.
The Pacific Coast Doubles Classic is a doubles-only tournament open to non-collegiate players. It attracts some of the top current and former college players in the country each year and traditionally has offered Notre Dame its first opportunity to play outdoors during the spring season. Over the last eight years, the Irish have participated in the tournament every year except 1999. Results do not count toward players’ official records.