Jan. 27, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team, currently ranked at No. 36 is set to face No. 17 Oklahoma at 3:00 p.m. (ET) during the ITA Kick-Off weekend. Illinois will play host to the two-day event at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill. The ITA Kick-Off weekend serves as the regional qualifiers for the National Team Indoor Championships.
“If we play well, I believe we have what it takes to defeat Oklahoma,” head coach Bobby Bayliss says. “I think we can count on a close match, but we have shown that we have what it takes to win and be competitive.”
Notre Dame’s first challenger, the Sooners are currently 1-0, sweeping Wichita State 7-0 last week.
In addition to the Sooners, No. 16 Illinois and 39th-ranked Denver face each other at 7:00 p.m. (ET), following Notre Dame’s match against Oklahoma.
At the 2010 ITA Kick-Off weekend the Irish were edged by Tulsa, 4-3.
The winners of Friday’s matches play at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, while the consolation match begins at 2:00 p.m. (CT).
Notes
Notre Dame leads 2-0 in the all-time series against Oklahoma … The Irish most recently faced the Sooners in 1991 and secured a 5-2 win … The first meeting between the teams was in 1994 when the Irish swept the Sooners 7-0 … The ITA released the second round of rankings for the 2011 dual season and Notre Dame moved from being ranked No. 38 to its current ranking of No. 36.
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