Sept. 21, 2008
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The men’s tennis team concluded play at the Wolverine Invitational, posting five singles wins and two doubles wins on the final day of competition. In the three-day event, the Irish combined for a 16-8 record in singles play and an 8-4 mark in doubles. Sophomore Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, MD/Walt Whitman HS) amassed 22 points to finish in second place at the Invitational.
“It was a big step up for Dan, we are excited about how he played this weekend,” said head coach Bob Bayliss.
For the tournament, Notre Dame had three of the top-five finishers in Stahl and sophomores David Anderson (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich HS) and Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan). Both Anderson and Davis tied for fourth place with 18 points apiece.
To conclude the Invitational, the Irish lineup first faced Miami in doubles play and then played host Michigan in singles action. Sophomore Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, OH/Hill Christian School) slotted in at number one singles, dropping a 7-5, 6-2 decision to Jason Jung. Davis lost in the number two spot to Andrew Mazlin, 6-4, 6-1.
The Irish were able to secure victories in the three through seven spots, beginning with Stahl’s victory over Mike Sroczynski, 6-3, 6-4. Anderson won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
“The two wins by Anderson and Stahl were really impressive, as both of their opponents beat us when we played them [Michigan] last year,” said Bayliss.
Freshman Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) came back after dropping the first set to beat Drew Daniel 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Sophomore Matt Johnson (Portage, MI/Portage Central HS) also came back after losing his first set to defeat George Navas, 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.
“To see the way Casey and Matt fought back against very good players speaks well to what we are trying to accomplish,” added Bayliss.
Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland/Blackrock College) earned Notre Dame’s final singles win of the Invitational as he beat David Streeter, 6-2, 6-1. Senior Santiago Montoya (Austin, Texas/St. Stephen’s) fell in the number eight position, 6-0, 6-3.
In doubles action, which actually preceded Notre Dame’s singles matches, senior Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West) teamed with Davis at the number one spot, losing a close match, 9-8. Havens and Watt fell 8-3 in the number two spot. Montoya and Anderson were able to win 9-8 and the duo of Stahl and Fitzgerald also earned an Irish win, 8-6.
Bayliss concluded, “I thought it was a great weekend for our team. We were able to win the majority of our matches and our young guys really finished strong on the last day. To see them play well was gratifying and encouraging. We are excited to continue with our progress.”
The Invitational worked on an individual point scoring system, with players earning points for both singles and doubles wins. At the first position, a player earned eight points for a win, down through the eighth position where a win was worth one point. In doubles play, four points were awarded to each member of the winning team in the number one position, down to the fourth spot, where a win was worth one point for each player.
The Irish return to the courts when they host the Tom Fallon Invitational on the Courtney Courts in Notre Dame, Ind. The all day event will take place on October 10, 11 and 12.
Complete Day Three Results (UM Varsity Tennis Center-Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Match One: Denver vs. Miami
1. David Rosenfield (Miami) def. David Simson (Denver), 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 2. Benny Althaus (Denver) def. David Simon (Miami), 7-5, 7-6(2) 3. Ketih Cowley (Miami) def. Martin Zimmerman (Denver) 6-3, 7-5 4. Ignacio Taboada (Miami) def. Yannick Weihs (Denver), 6-7, 7-6, 10-3 5. J.C Whitner (Miami) def. Johan Gunnarsson (Denver), 7-5, 6-2 6. Hector Nieto (Miami) def. Andrew Landwerlen (Denver), 6-3, 6-4 7. Ravjot Dhatt (Denver) def. Westin Wendt (Miami), 6-7, 6-1, 10-5 8. Matt Parks (Michigan) def. Varun Gunaseelan (Denver), 6-2, 6-3
Match Two: Michigan vs. Notre Dame
1. Jason Jung (Michigan) def. Stephen Havens (Notre Dame), 7-5, 6-2 2. Andrew Mazlin (Michigan ) def. Tyler Davis (Notre Dame), 6-4, 6-1 3. Daniel Stahl (Notre Dame) def. Mike Sroczynski (Michigan), 6-3, 6-4 4. David Anderson (Notre Dame) def. Peter Aarts (Michigan), 6-2, 6-4 5. Casey Watts (Notre Dame) def. Drew Daniel (Michigan), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 6. Matt Johnson (Notre Dame) def. George Navas (Michigan), 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 7. Niall Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) def. David Streeter (Michigan) 6-2, 6-1 8. Mke DePietro (Michigan) def. Santiago Montoya (Notre Dame), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles:
Michigan vs. Denver 1. Jason Jung/Mike Sroczynski (Michigan) def. Martin Zimmerman/Andrew Landwerlen (Denver), 8-2 2. George Navas/Drew Daniel (Michigan) def. David Simson/Yannick Weihs (Denver), 9-8 (3) 3. Andrew Mazlin/Chris Madden (Michigan) def. Benny Althaus/Johan Gunnarsson (Denver), 8-5 4. Peter Aarts/Matt Parks (Michigan) def. Ravjot Dhatt/Varun Gunaseelan (Denver), 8-2
Miami vs. Notre Dame
1. David Rosenfield/Keith Crowley def. Brett Helgeson/Tyler Davis, 9-8 2. David Simon/Ignacio Taboada def. Stephen Havens/Casey Watt, 8-3 3. Santiago Montoya/David Anderson (Notre Dame) def. J.C. Whitner/Hector Nieto (Miami), 9-8 4. Daniel Stahl/Niall Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) def. David Streeter/Mike DePietro (Michigan), 8-6
Final Point Totals:
Jason Jung (Michigan)-32 Daniel Stahl (Notre Dame)-22 Keith Crowley (Miami)-20 David Anderson (Notre Dame)-18 Tyler Davis (Notre Dame) -18 Andrew Mazlin (Michigan)-18 Brett Helgeson (Notre Dame)-16 David Rosenfield (Miami)-16 David Simon (Miami)-14 Mike Sroczynski (Michigan)-14 Benny Althaus (Denver)-13 Ignacio Taboada (Miami)-13 David Simson (Denver)-12 Drew Daniel (Michigan)-11 Casey Watts (Notre Dame)-10 Hector Nieto (Miami)-10 George Navas (Michigan)-9 Yannick Weihs (Denver)-8 Chris Madden (Michigan) -7 Matt Johnson (Notre Dame)-7 J.C. Whitner (Miami)-8 Matt Parks (Michigan)-6 Peter Aarts (Michigan)-5 Johan Gunnarsson (Denver)-4 Niall Fitzgerald (Notre Dame)-4 Stephen Havens (Notre Dame)-3 Andrew Landwerlen (Denver)-3 David Streeter (Michigan)-2 Santiago Montoya (Notre Dame)-2 Ravjot Dhatt (Denver)-2 Mike DePietro (Michigan)-2
–ND–