Freshman Brett Helgeson and the Irish will play four home matches in the next five days and then only three the remainder of the season.

Irish Set For Only Homestand Of Season - Four Matches In Five Days, Beginning Saturday

Feb. 10, 2006

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#66 Purdue (4-0) vs. #28 Notre Dame (2-4)Saturday, February 11, 1 p.m. (EST) • Eck Tennis Pavilion • Notre Dame, Indiana- Live Scoring Updates: und.com
Wisconsin (3-1) vs. #28 Notre DameSunday, February 12, Noon (EST) • Eck Tennis Pavilion • Notre Dame, Indiana- Live Scoring Updates: und.com
Bradley (1-2) vs. #28 Notre DameSunday, February 12, 5 p.m. (EST) • Eck Tennis Pavilion • Notre Dame, Indiana- Live Scoring Updates: und.com
#75 Michigan State (4-4) vs. #28 Notre DameWednesday, February 15, 4 p.m. (EST) • Eck Tennis Pavilion • Notre Dame, Indiana- Live Scoring Updates: und.com

IRISH SET FOR ONLY HOMESTAND OF SEASON – FOUR MATCHES IN FIVE DAYS, BEGINNING SATURDAY: The 28th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team (2-4) will try to use some home cooking to snap a three-match losing streak – in which every match has been against a top-30 team, and two have been by 4-3 scores – as it is set for its only homestand of the season. The Irish will welcome #66 Purdue to the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Saturday for a 1 p.m. (EST) match and will then have a home doubleheader on Sunday, facing Wisconsin at Noon and Bradley at 5 p.m. Michigan State, ranked 75th, will visit Notre Dame on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. Following these four matches, the Irish will have only three more home dates over the remainder of the season, which figures to last more than three additional months.

SEVERAL LOCAL PLAYERS TO VISIT ND: In addition to the familiar presence of Irish junior Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.), four players who originally hail from less than 90 miles away from Notre Dame will visit the Eck Tennis Pavilion in the homestand: juniors Eric Hodgman (Kalamazoo, Mich./ Loy Norrix H.S.) and Matt Zollman (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) of Purdue, and senior Mike Brown (Portage, Mich./Portage Central H.S.) and sophomore Nick Rinks (Kalamazoo, Mich./ Kalamazoo Central H.S.) from Michigan State. Additionally, there will be five players – seniors Colin Foster (Western Springs/Lyons Township H.S.) and Paul Rose (Glencoe/New Trier H.S.) and sophomore Patrick Rose (Glencoe/New Trier H.S.) from Purdue, Wisconsin sophomore Jeremy Sonkin (Wheaton/Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S.) and Bradley freshman Brian Hanus (Palatine/Palatine H.S.) – from the suburbs of Chicago.

PURDUE AT A GLANCE: The Boilermakers moved into the Fila ITA national rankings this week, at 66th, following a 4-3 upset of #41 Harvard … Purdue also has wins over Valparaiso (6-1), Toledo (6-1), and Butler (5-2) to now stand 4-0 – having already surpassed its victory total from last season … it is the first 4-0 start for the Boilermakers since 1999 … Purdue returned six of nine starters from last year’s squad that was 3-17 (including a 14-match losing streak to end the year), finished last in the Big Ten Conference (0-10 record) and fell in the opening round of the league tournament … senior Paul Rose was ranked 54th in the preseason, but did not play enough in the fall to be listed in the current rankings … he has not seen any action since Sept. 24 against Notre Dame in doubles at the Tom Fallon Invitational … there were 15 ND-Purdue matchups this past fall in the Tom Fallon Invitational and the ITA Midwest Championships, of which the Irish were victorious in 11 (see page one of this release for match scores) … head coach Tim Madden is in his 12th year at Purdue, having compiled a 142-120 (.542) record … he has a 176-141 (.555) mark in 14 seasons overall as a head coach, including 0-13 against Notre Dame … next up for the Boilers is a trip to Western Michigan on Sunday.

IRISH-BOILERMAKERS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Purdue will meet for the 12th consecutive season and 59th time overall, with the Irish holding a 49-9 edge in the series (see page 44 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), including a current 16-match winning streak … the last Boilermakers’ win over the Irish came in 1987 by a 7-2 score at ND … since then, Purdue has lost by just a single point on four occasions (5-4 in 1989; 4-3 in 1999, 2001, and `03), but has not been able to break through for a victory … Notre Dame has more all-time victories against the Boilermakers than vs. any other opponent (next is Marquette, against which ND is 45-0) … there are only five schools (Northwestern-75, Michigan State-74, Indiana-66, Michigan-66, Western Michigan-61) that ND has played more times in men’s tennis than Purdue … the Irish have a 36-6 all-time mark at home against the Boilers, including 12 straight wins … the schools first played in 1937, with Notre Dame prevailing 7-2 at home … following seven straight losses, Purdue earned its first victory against the Irish in 1951 in a 6-3 decision at home … a year ago, the 20th-ranked Irish won 7-0 at #68 Purdue … ND prevailed at the top two spots to win the doubles point and then dropped just a pair of sets in singles (eventually winning a match tiebreaker at No. 4 and in three sets at No. 6) … this will be the 14th consecutive match in which Notre Dame carries the higher ITA national ranking (ND is unbeaten in those contests) … it will be the 11th straight time that both squads carry national rankings into the meeting … Notre Dame holds a 9-4 advantage in matches decided by just one point (5-4 or 4-3 scores) … Irish head coach Bob Bayliss holds a 15-0 career record against Purdue (all while coaching at ND), while Tim Madden is 0-13 vs. the Irish (0-12 while at Purdue; 0-1 at Northern Illinois) … Georgetown (17-0 career record) is the only school that Bayliss has recorded more wins against without being defeated … there are only four schools (20-1 vs. Michigan State, 17-0 vs. Georgetown, 16-1 vs. Army, 16-4 vs. Ohio State) against which Bayliss has more career victories … the 15 wins for the Irish during the 19-year Bayliss era are tied (with Michigan State and Ball State) for the most against any opponent during that span … Bayliss holds a 140-48 (.747) career mark against current members of the Big Ten Conference, making it by far the league that has been victimized most during his 36-year career (next is the Ivy League, which has 69 career losses to Bayliss-coached teams).

WISCONSIN AT A GLANCE: The Badgers head into the weekend with a 3-1 record and will play at Western Michigan on Saturday before visiting Notre Dame … Wisconsin began the season with 7-0 victories against Northern Illinois, DePaul, and Loyola Marymount, before falling 6-1 at #5 Pepperdine last week … UW returned nine letterwinners – including three of six starters – from last year’s squad that was 8-14 and finished 10th in the Big Ten Conference (2-8 record) … there were three ND-Wisconsin matchups at the Tom Fallon Invitational at Notre Dame in the fall (see page three of this release for match scores), with the Irish winning two … the marquee contest saw then-#77 Sheeva Parbhu of Notre Dame win 6-4, 6-4 over 80th-ranked Jeremy Sonkin … head coach Greg Van Emburgh, previously associate head coach at Kentucky, is in his first year as a collegiate head coach … next up for the Badgers is their Big Ten opener, in which they will play host to #55 Northwestern on Feb. 18.

IRISH-BADGERS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Wisconsin will meet for the 21st consecutive season and 59th time overall, with the Irish holding a 43-15 edge in the series (see page 45 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), including a current 14-match winning streak … the last Badgers’ win over Notre Dame came in 1991, when UW upset 20th-ranked ND in Madison … since then, the Irish have won every meeting, never giving up more than two points … the current streak of 18 straight years with at least one match against the Badgers is the second-longest current string for Notre Dame, which will play Ohio State for the 30th consecutive season later this month … there are only two schools (Purdue-49, Marquette-45) that Notre Dame has defeated more times than Wisconsin … there are just six schools (Northwestern-75, Michigan State-74, Indiana-66, Michigan-66, Western Michigan-61, Purdue-60) that ND has played more times in men’s tennis than UW … the Irish have a 27-9 all-time mark at home against the Badgers, including seven straight wins … the last Wisconsin win at ND came in 1990 by a 5-4 score … the schools first played in 1929, with Notre Dame pulling out a 4-3 contest … following nine straight losses, Wisconsin earned its first victory against the Irish in 1950 in a 5-4 match at Notre Dame … a year ago, 34th-ranked Notre Dame won 6-1 at Wisconsin … Alex Kasarov and Lachezar Kasarov of Wisconsin won a tiebreaker (8-6) at No. 1 against Brent D’Amico and Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) to give the Badgers (who also won at No. 3) a 1-0 lead in the match … ND did not drop a set in singles, losing just 14 combined games (1.8 per set) at the bottom four positions … this will be the 16th consecutive match in which Notre Dame carries the higher ITA national ranking (ND is 14-1 in those contests) … the Irish hold an 11-4 advantage in matches decided by just one point (5-4 or 4-3 scores), but the Badgers have won the last two (5-4 in 1990 and `87) … Irish head coach Bob Bayliss holds a 13-4 career record against Wisconsin (all while coaching at ND), while first-year coach Greg Van Emburgh will face the Irish for the first time … Bayliss holds a 140-48 (.747) career mark against current members of the Big Ten Conference, making it by far the league that has been victimized most during his 36-year career (next is the Ivy League, which has 69 career losses to Bayliss-coached teams).

BRADLEY AT A GLANCE: The Braves head into the weekend with a 1-2 record and will play host to DePaul on Saturday before heading to Notre Dame … Bradley’s victory came by a 6-1 score against Lamar, while its defeats have come by 7-0 scores against #60 Indiana and #44 SMU … the Braves return four of seven starters from last year’s squad that went 7-16 and finished in a sixth-place tie in the Missouri Valley Conference (2-6 record) … head coach Drew Barrett is in his fifth year at Bradley, having compiled a 30-63 (.323) record … next up for the Braves are two more road matches in the Hoosier State, as they will travel to Butler on Feb. 18 and to Valparaiso the following day.

IRISH-BRAVES SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Bradley will meet for the first time since 1988 and the 11th time overall, with the Irish holding a 9-1 edge in the series (see page 42 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), including a current four-match winning streak … the only Braves’ win over Notre Dame came in a 5-3 decision in 1968 in Peoria … this will be Bradley’s first visit to Notre Dame since a 5-4 Irish triumph in 1969 (the only one-point match in the series) … the schools first met in 1935, with Notre Dame prevailing 6-3 … this will end the third hiatus of 15+ years in the series … the teams played in 1935 and `36, but then not again until 1962 … after playing six times between 1962-71, they did not hook up again until 1987 … Irish head coach Bob Bayliss has faced the Braves just one time: in his first season leading Notre Dame … Drew Barrett will challenge ND for the first time … Bayliss holds a 15-3 (.833) career record against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference, while Notre Dame is 56-14 (.800) all-time against that group … there are only three conferences against which the Irish have more all-time victories (using current conference alignments): the Big Ten (322-231-2 record), Mid-American (110-31), and BIG EAST (91-2).

MICHIGAN STATE AT A GLANCE: The Spartans head to Notre Dame with a 4-4 record on the season … MSU began the spring with four straight wins over unranked teams (Northern Illinois, IUPUI, Wright State, and Toledo), but has since dropped four straight matches to teams currently in the rankings (#67 William & Mary, #16 Tennessee, #40 Rice, and #70 Ball State [4-3 score]) … Notre Dame beat the Tribe 7-0 at home on Jan. 29, just three days after William & Mary won 5-2 at Michigan State … the Spartans prevailed at Nos. 1 and 4 singles and No. 1 doubles … MSU was 13-13 a year ago and finished eighth in the Big Ten Conference (4-6 record) and 72nd in the national rankings … gone from that squad is Andrew Formanczyk, who ended up ranked 97th nationally in singles … the top player on this year’s squad is sophomore Nick Rinks, who is currently ranked 78th with a 19-3 record this season (6-0 at No. 1) … one of his defeats came by scores of 6-2, 6-2 against Irish junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) in the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Championships … Rinks and sophomore Adam Monich posted a 9-7 upset win against senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and junior Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) – who are now ranked 12th in the nation – in the opening round of the Midwest Championships … ND sophomore Andrew Roth (Houston, Texas/Tenney School) won 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 over MSU freshman Alex Forger in the qualifying draw of that event … head coach Gene Orlando is in his 15th season at Michigan State, having compiled a 173-200 (.464) record … in 18 years as a head coach, he is 204-240 (.459) … next up for MSU is a trip to Western Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 18.

IRISH-SPARTANS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Michigan State will meet for the 16th consecutive season and 75th time overall, with the Irish holding a 42-32 edge in the series (see page 43 of the ND media guide for scores of every match), including a current 16-match winning streak … the last Spartans’ win over the Irish came in 1988 by a 5-4 score in East Lansing, Mich. … since then, MSU has lost 4-3 on five occasions (1993, `96, `99, 2003, `05), but has not been able to break through for a victory … Wednesday’s match will tie Michigan State with Northwestern as the most-common opponent in Irish men’s tennis history … there are only three schools (Purdue-49, Marquette-45, Wisconsin-43) against which Notre Dame has more all-time victories than Michigan State … conversely, just two schools – Michigan (41) and Northwestern (36) – have beaten the Irish more times than MSU … ND has a 26-19 all-time mark at home against the Spartans, including nine consecutive wins … the last MSU win at ND was a 5-4 decision in 1985 … the schools first played in 1926, with the Spartans prevailing 4-3 at home … Notre Dame earned its first win over Michigan State the following year, a 6-3 decision at home … a year ago, 24th-ranked Notre Dame prevailed 4-3 over #46 MSU in East Lansing … current Irish senior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) won a third-set tiebreaker against Brian Compton at No. 6 to complete a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) victory in the final match remaining on court … the Spartans swept the doubles matches, but ND earned straight-set victories at Nos. 2, 3, and 4 in singles to go up 3-1 … MSU rebounded with two-set triumphs at Nos. 1 and 5 to tie the score … Notre Dame has carried the higher ITA national ranking in each of the last 15 contests … both squads have been ranked in eight of the last nine affairs … the schools have played 22 matches decided by just one point (5-4 or 4-3), with each side winning 11 … Irish head coach Bob Bayliss has more career victories against Michigan State than any other school, holding a 20-1 mark against the Spartans, including 15-1 while at Notre Dame (next is Georgetown, against which he is 17-0) … heading into the weekend, MSU is tied with the Purdue and Ball State as the teams that have been defeated most by the Irish in Bayliss’ 19-year tenure … Bayliss holds a 140-48 (.747) career mark against current members of the Big Ten Conference, making it by far the league that has been victimized most during his 36-year career (next is the Ivy League, which has 69 career losses to Bayliss-coached teams).

KECKLEY/KING KNOCK OFF NATION’S #1-RANKED DOUBLES TEAM: Notre Dame juniors Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) and Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) posted an 8-4 victory over the #1-ranked team in college tennis, North Carolina’s Raian Luchi of Romania and Brad Pomeroy, on Feb. 4 at the No. 1 position. It was the first time an Irish doubles team had knocked off the nation’s top-ranked squad since Feb. 18, 1993, when Chuck Coleman and Will Forsyth prevailed 8-3 against Anders Eriksson and Trey Phillips of Texas at No. 1 in the opening round of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Louisville, Ky. Notre Dame, ranked sixth at the time, went on to win the match 4-3 against the 10th-ranked Longhorns. This season’s win marked the first time King had upset a nationally-ranked team in doubles during his collegiate career, while Keckley – who is currently ranked 12th nationally with senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) – has five to his credit.

ND SUFFERS A TRIO OF 4-3 LOSSES TO TOP-30 TEAMS: Three of Notre Dame’s four defeats this season have come by 4-3 scores on the road against teams ranked among the national top 30. The Irish were up 3-2 against #1 Virginia on Jan. 27 in Richmond, but lost three-set affairs at No. 1 (6-4 in the third set after serving with a service break at 4-3) and No. 2 (6-4 in the third set). On Feb. 4, Notre Dame lost three-set matches at No. 1 (6-4 in the third) and No. 3 (6-3 in the third) to lose 4-3 at #30 North Carolina. A day later, the Irish won three-setters at Nos. 2 and 5 to tie the score 3-3 against #9 Duke, but the Blue Devils won in three sets at No. 1 (6-3 in the third) to avoid the upset.

IRISH ONLY DI SQUAD WITH FOUR PLAYERS BOASTING TOP-15 RANKINGS: Notre Dame is the only Division I school to feature four different players that currently boast a national top-15 ranking in singles and/or doubles. Plus, for the first time ever, the Irish have two players among the top 15 nationally in singles, as junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) is #8 and sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) came in 14th in the latest edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), which were released on Jan. 10. In addition, the Irish have a top-15 squad in doubles, with senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) – who is also 65th in singles – and junior Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.), a St. Joseph’s High School graduate, at 12th.

ND 28TH IN FILA COLLEGIATE TENNIS RANKINGS: After losing 4-3 matches on the road against #30 North Carolina and #9 Duke last weekend, the Irish dropped two spots to 28th in the latest set of Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), which were released on Tuesday. In all, 17 of Notre Dame’s 19 regular-season opponents are listed in the rankings, with six ranking in the top 25: #3 Illinois, #6 Virginia, #10 Duke, #15 Ohio State, #20 Texas, and #24 Texas A&M. Additionally, the Irish beat USC – currently ranked 18th – 6-1 during the fall in exhibition action.

BASS, PARBHU MAKE ND ONE OF THREE TEAMS WITH TWO PLAYERS AMONG TOP 15 NATIONALLY IN SINGLES: Notre Dame is one of just three schools – along with #1 Virginia and #3 Georgia – that have multiple players ranked among the national top 15 in singles. Junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) is #8 and sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) came in 14th in the latest edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), which were released on Jan. 10. It is the first time two Irish players have been in the national top 15 at the same time. Senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) is 65th, putting ND in an elite group of just four teams – along with Virginia, #4 Illinois, and #6 Mississippi – to have three in the top 65. Bass is the highest-ranked Irish singles player since Ryan Sachire entered his final collegiate season (1999-2000) ranked #2. The current junior is only the third ND student-athlete – along with Sachire and five-time All-American David DiLucia (’92) – to be ranked among the national top 10 in the ITA singles rankings.

KECKLEY/LANGENKAMP HIGHEST-RANKED ND TEAM SINCE 2001-02: Senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and junior Ryan Keckley (South Bend,Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) – listed 12th in the latest edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings – comprise the highest-ranked Notre Dame doubles team since Javier Taborga and Casey Smith concluded their careers in 2001-02 ranked eighth. The current players continue a long tradition of highly-ranked Irish doubles teams, as they are the eighth different pair under head coach Bob Bayliss to be ranked 12th in the nation or higher. Langenkamp has joined an elite group of just 12 Irish players who have been ranked among the national top 65 in both singles and doubles. He earned his second career ranking in doubles, after being 60th for a brief time last spring. Keckley has now been nationally-ranked with three different partners, matching the Irish record held by Andy Zurcher (’94) and Luis Haddock (’04). Keckley is one of just five ND players to earn top-15 rankings with two different partners. In the spring of 2003-04, he and Haddock peaked at 14th, which had been the South Bend native’s career-best ranking.

IRISH HEAD COACH: Bob Bayliss is in his 19th year at Notre Dame with a 329-161 (.671) record, while his 36-year career mark stands at 620-264-1 (.700). He is one of just six active NCAA Division I coaches to boast 600+ career victories. Bayliss has had just one losing season in his career and has seen his teams finish in the top 20 nine times, advancing to the NCAA round of 16 on five occasions, highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance in 1993 and a national runner-up finish in ’92. He also is one of just three coaches in Division I to have led his current team to 14 NCAA tournaments over the last 15 seasons. Bayliss, named national coach of the year in 1980 and ’92, is a four-time ITA Midwest Region coach of the year and 12-time conference coach of the year (five times in the last eight years in the BIG EAST, including 2004 and `05). In his time at Notre Dame, Bayliss’ teams have won 12 conference titles, while his players have earned All-America honors 17 times, won eight national ITA awards, and earned 16 invitations to the NCAA Singles Championship and 11 to the NCAA doubles tournament.

STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this weekend:

– Notre Dame has won 16 consecutive matches against Purdue [last loss: 3/29/87, 7-2 at Notre Dame]

– Notre Dame has won 14 consecutive matches against Wisconsin [last loss: 4/23/91, 6-3 at Wisconsin]

– Notre Dame has won 16 consecutive matches against Michigan State [last loss: 4/5/88, 5-4 at Michigan State]

– Notre Dame has swept 13 consecutive doubleheaders [last loss: 3/25/89, 5-4 vs. Miami (Ohio); then won 6-3 over Northern Illinois and 9-0 over Indiana State on the same day]

– Notre Dame has won 21 consecutive matches against unranked teams [last loss: 1/24/03 vs. Indiana, 4-3]

– Notre Dame has won 20 consecutive matches against team not ranked among the national top 60 [last loss: 3/15/03 vs. #68 Boise State, 4-0 in Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic]

– Notre Dame has lost four consecutive 4-3 matches [last win: 3/12/05 vs. #27 Rice in Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic]

– Stephen Bass has won eight consecutive singles matches at home [last loss: 3/17/05 vs. Illinois’ Kevin Anderson 6-1, 6-4]

– Stephen Bass is 10-0 in singles in his career at the Courtney Tennis Center.

Sheeva Parbhu has won 19 in a row when winning the opening set (39-2 career record) [last loss: 3/11/05 vs. Boise State’s Ikaika Jobe]

Sheeva Parbhu has won eight consecutive singles matches at home [last loss: 3/17/05 vs. Illinois’ Monte Tucker 6-2, 7-5]

Sheeva Parbhu has won 11 consecutive singles matches outdoors [last loss: 3/11/05 vs. Boise State’s Ikaika Jobe]

– Barry King has lost six consecutive tiebreakers in singles. [last win: 3/11/05 vs. Boise State’s Matias Silva, first set]

– Eric Langenkamp has won five consecutive traditional tiebreakers in singles [last loss: 9/16/04 vs. William & Mary’s Stephen Ward, second set]

– Patrick Buchanan has won six consecutive singles matches at home [last loss: 3/17/05 vs. Illinois’ Ruben Gonzales 6-2, 5-7, 6-4]

– Patrick Buchanan has won six consecutive singles matches outdoors [last loss: 4/3/05 vs. SMU’s Henrik Soderberg 6-3, 6-3]

Andrew Roth has won seven consecutive doubles matches at home [only career loss: 9/16/04 with Yuichi Uda, vs. William & Mary’s Sud/Szewczyk 8-5]

– Yuichi Uda has won six consecutive close sets (6-4, 7-5, or 7-6) [last loss: 10/15/04 vs. Wisconsin’s Brian Ko, 6-4 in third set]

– Yuichi Uda has won six consecutive singles matches at home [only career loss: 9/17/04 vs. Purdue’s Scott Warner 6-4, 7-5]

MOST-COMMON OPPONENTS IN IRISH HISTORY: See pdf for the list of most-common opponents faced by Notre Dame in its 84 years of varsity men’s tennis.

MOST WINS AGAINST ONE SCHOOL: See pdf for the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most in its 84 years of varsity men’s tennis.

MOST LOSSES AGAINST ONE SCHOOL: See pdf for the list of teams that have defeated Notre Dame most in its 84 years of varsity men’s tennis.

MOST WINS IN BAYLISS ERA: See pdf for the list of schools against which Notre Dame has the most victories during the 19-year tenure of head coach Bob Bayliss.

MOST WINS BY BAYLISS: See pdf for the list of schools against which Notre Dame head coach Bob Bayliss owns the most career victories.

IT TAKES TWO, BABY: Notre Dame will try to continue a streak of dominance when playing multiple matches in a single day. The Irish have swept 13 consecutive doubleheaders, dating back to March 25, 1989, when they lost 5-4 to Miami (Ohio) at home before beating Northern Illinois (6-3) and Indiana State (9-0) later that day. This will be the seventh doubleheader for the Irish since 1998 (and fourth in the last three seasons).

IRISH TO FACE RARE UNRANKED TEAMS ON SUNDAY: Only two of the 19 teams Notre Dame is scheduled to take on this regular season are not listed among the nation’s top 75 teams in the latest edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Both of those schools – Wisconsin and Bradley – will face the Irish on the same day, as they both visit the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Sunday. Notre Dame currently has a 21-match winning streak against unranked teams, dating back to a 4-3 loss to Indiana (which would finish that season ranked 44th after being as high as 21st) on Jan. 24, 2003.

BIG ELEVEN (OR TWELVE)?: Though Notre Dame participates in the BIG EAST Conference in men’s tennis, a glance at the Irish schedule may not bear out that fact. Notre Dame will face only one BIG EAST foe (Louisville) during the regular season, but will take on a total of eight teams from the Big Ten Conference. Only Penn State, Iowa, and Minnesota from the Big Ten will not play the Irish this season. A year ago, Notre Dame played those same eight Big Ten teams, going 6-2. Notre Dame has had a long history of playing the teams that now make up the Big Ten, posting an all-time 316-228-2 (.582) mark in averaging nearly seven matches per season against Big Ten teams in the 84-year history of the program. Head coach Bob Bayliss holds a 140-48 (.745) career mark against current league members. The Irish have played each of the original 10 members of the conference at least 25 times, holding a winning mark against every team but Michigan (25-41). Notre Dame won 6-1 at Northwestern on Jan. 21 and lost 7-0 at #3 Illinois on Feb. 7.

HELGESON POSTS HIGHEST-RANKED ND SINGLES WIN SINCE 2000: Freshman Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West H.S.) knocked off Virginia sophomore Treat Huey 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles in dual-match action on Jan. 27. Huey was ranked #6 in the national singles rankings, making him the highest-ranked player to fall victim to a Notre Dame student-athlete since Javier Taborga beat then-#3 K.J. Hippensteel of Stanford on Oct. 12, 2000, in the second round of the ITA All-American Championships.

BASS, PARBHU EXCEL IN NATIONAL INDOORS: Junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) and sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) combined to make Notre Dame one of only two schools (along with Stanford) to have multiple players among the final 16 in the season’s second grand slam, the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. Bass knocked off the tournament’s No. 6 seed to become just the second Notre Dame player (along with Ryan Sachire in 2000) ever to reach the quarterfinals of the event. Just six schools – Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Virginia – qualified two players for the 32-player singles draw (none had more than two). This season marked the fourth time – all since 1992 – that Notre Dame has had multiple players in the men’s singles draw of the National Indoor Championships, but the first since 1995. This was the first time that both reached the round of 16.

BASS, PARBHU COMBINE FOR FIRST ALL-IRISH SINGLES FINAL IN ITA MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) prevailed against his teammate, sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) in the first-ever all-Irish singles final of the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Championships. No ND player had reached the singles final of that event – which features the top talent in the ITA’s Midwest Region – since 1996 (Ryan Sachire), and Bass became the first Irish victor since Andy Zurcher did so in 1993. Bass came away with a 7-5, 6-2 victory in the championship match to snap Parbhu’s 17-match winning streak and join an elite club of just four Notre Dame players who have won that singles title. Notre Dame was the only school to have two players in the quarterfinals, and that duo kept winning. Bass – a semifinalist in 2004 – is the fifth Irish player to reach the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Championships multiple times.

BRING ON THE BEST … ACTUALLY, WE’LL COME TO YOU: Notre Dame will face seven teams ranked among the national top 25 in the preseason edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, with all but one of those matches coming on the road. The Irish lost 4-3 against preseason #1 Virginia in Richmond on Jan. 27 and play true road matches against #4 Illinois (lost 7-0 on Feb. 7), #8 Duke (Feb. 5), #11 Florida State (March 14), #13 Texas A&M (March 26), and #22 Texas (March 25). Ohio State, ranked 18th in the preseason, will visit the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Feb. 24. All 11 of Notre Dame’s scheduled road matches during the regular season will be against teams that were in the preseason rankings, as the Irish also have road dates with #31 North Carolina (lost 4-3 on Feb. 4), #48 Michigan (Feb. 18), #51 Northwestern (won 6-1 on Jan. 21), #60 Indiana (March 7), and #68 Ball State (April 9).

TERRIFIC TRIO: The 2005-06 campaign marks the first time ever that Notre Dame had three different players compete in singles action in grand slams in the fall semester. Senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) participated in the singles main draw of the season’s first grand slam, the Polo Ralph Lauren ITA All-American Championships, while junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) and sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) played in the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships.

IRISH BOAST FOUR AMONG TOP 25 SINGLES PLAYERS IN MIDWEST REGION: Notre Dame joined Ohio State as the only schools with four or more singles players listed among the top 25 in the ITA’s Midwest Region rankings, released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in December. Junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) led the way at #2, while sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) was fifth, freshman Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West H.S.) was 13th, and senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) was 22nd. Junior Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) would have been ranked, but was listed as having insufficient data since he did not play collegiately during the fall. Bass is the highest-ranked Irish player in the regional singles rankings since Ryan Sachire finished his career in 1999-2000 at #1, which concluded a decade-long span in which ND boasted the region’s top singles player in every season but one. In an almost-unbelievable turn, Langenkamp and junior Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) were listed just 13th in the regional doubles rankings determined by a committee of head coaches, despite having wins over the teams ranked #2 and #5 in the region and coming in 12th in the national rankings (determined by the ITA’s computer formula).

MEN’S TENNIS “GOLD GAME” SET FOR FEB. 24 vs. #18 OHIO STATE: Notre Dame’s matchup with #18 Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. (EST) has been designated as this season’s men’s tennis “Gold Game,” a distinction created by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council to encourage the entire Notre Dame community to attend particular contests. The match will feature two of the top three teams in the ITA’s Midwest Region, according to the national rankings. OSU – ranked 12th at the time – snapped a six-match losing streak at ND in its last visit, using a trio of three-set victories to rally for a 4-3 win over the 43rd-ranked Irish, who were without their top singles player.

LANGENKAMP WINS ITA SUMMER NATIONALS: Senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) claimed the singles title in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Summer Championships, presented by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) last month at Indiana University. Among the highlights of his run were wins against Steven Peretz (who played Nos. 4-6 for Michigan last spring), Ryan Preston (Nos. 4-5 for Vanderbilt in ’05), top-seeded Paul Rose (Purdue’s No. 1 player who is ranked 54th in the preseason ITA listing), Will Gray (Nos. 3-6 for Tulsa in ’05), and Eric Hechtman (Nos. 2-3 for Miami in `05). The championship earned Langenkamp – who combined with sophomore Yuichi Uda (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Laurel Springs School [CA]) to make Notre Dame the only school with two players among the final 16 in the singles draw – wild-card entry into the main draw of the first grand slam of the 2005-06 collegiate season, the Polo Ralph Lauren ITA All-American Championships. It was the first time an Irish player ever won a title in the tournament.

BUCHANAN SERVES AS SOLE TEAM CAPTAIN: Senior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) was voted team captain for the 2005-06 season. Following three straight years in which Notre Dame had multiple team captains – the only such span in the history of the program – the Irish have now returned to their tradition of having a single team captain. In 84 years of varsity tennis, Notre Dame has had just one team captain in all but 10 seasons, with the most-recent solo captain being Casey Smith in 2001-02. He concluded a 32-year stretch in which all but two seasons saw Notre Dame have exactly one captain.

DOEBLER PROMOTED TO ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: Todd Doebler was promoted to associate head coach of the Irish men’s tennis team, it was announced in January. Now in his fourth year on the coaching staff at Notre Dame, he is the first associate head coach in the history of the program, as well as one of just five currently in the Irish athletic department.

IRISH INK SEAN CORRIGAN FOR NEXT SEASON: Long Island’s Sean Corrigan (Lido Beach, N.Y./Long Beach H.S.), who was ranked among the top 25 in the nation in both singles and doubles at the end of 2004, signed a national letter of intent during the early period to enroll at the University of Notre Dame next fall and join its men’s tennis team. Corrigan, a senior at Long Beach High School, finished 2004 ranked 24th in the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) boys’ 16-and-under national rankings in singles, as well as 22nd in doubles (first in the Eastern Section). In prep action, he went undefeated at No. 1 singles last spring for Long Beach.

DAVID DiLUCIA NOW PERSONAL COACH FOR LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A five-time All-American during his four-year career at Notre Dame (1988-92), David DiLucia, left his job with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in December 2005 to become the personal coach of the world’s #1 women’s player, Lindsay Davenport. DiLucia was ranked #1 in both singles and doubles during his collegiate career and then went on to play in the singles main draw in all four professional grand slams before retiring in 2002. During his pro career, DiLucia earned wins over players such as Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Mark Philippoussis, and David Wheaton.

BAYLISS HONORED BY NAVAL ACADEMY: Notre Dame head coach Bob Bayliss was recognized recently by the United States Naval Academy, where he was the head tennis coach for 15 years, as well as the school’s head squash coach for four seasons. Navy named one of its varsity tennis courts in his honor and also dedicated a plaque in its squash facility on the occasion of the return to campus by Bayliss, who posted a 19-0 record against Army during his tenure in Annapolis. The long-time Irish mentor visited the Naval Academy during the weekend of Nov. 5, which also featured the football team’s homecoming game, a 49-21 win over Tulane. Though the tennis court had been dedicated previously – when Bayliss was unable to attend – there was a small ceremony held to show it to him. The weekend also featured the squash team’s annual alumni match, the Bowen Cup, and the dedication of a new plaque honoring Bayliss’ service to that team.

BAYLISS AT WIMBLEDON: Notre Dame head coach Bob Bayliss headed to London, England, last June to participate in a High Performance Continuing Education Program, which was organized by the USA Tennis Coaching Education Department and held in conjunction with The Championships Wimbledon. A total of 15 American coaches who work primarily with junior players took part, with the intent of continuing to work toward the program’s ultimate goal of developing world-class American champions. Bayliss was selected to participate in the continuing education program out of a pool of applicants of coaches who work with talented and highly-ranked junior players.

ND #1 IN NACDA DIRECTORS’ CUP: Notre Dame is in first place in the most-recent set of standings in the 2005-06 United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Dirctors of Athletics (NACDA), which were released on Jan. 12 and included results from all fall sports. Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 412 points based on their third-place finish in men’s cross country (85 points), their seventh-place finish in women’s cross country (69 points), their quarterfinal appearance in women’s soccer (73), their third-round appearance in men’s soccer (64), their regional semifinal appearance in women’s volleyball (64) and their 11th-place finish in football based on the final USA Today poll (57). This marks the second straight year Notre Dame has ranked atop the final fall standings – and its 412 points are its highest-ever fall total. Penn State (308.5 points) ranks second, Stanford (282) is third, and Duke (280) and Wisconsin (277) round out the top five. Notre Dame finished 16th in 2004-05, its fifth consecutive top-20 placing, and has three times finished an all-time high of 11th (1993-94, `95-96, 2000-01). Duke posted its all-time best finish of fifth in 2004-05.

CHANGES TO THE ITA RANKINGS: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced some changes to its national rankings for the 2005-06 season: (1) It will use one set of points for wins and also a tighter set of points, with less gaps. This set of points will be the same set that has been used for the season’s first computer rankings in the past; (2) There will be bonus points awarded for road wins; (3) The rankings that are run at the time of NCAA Championship selections will be run twice and the second run of the rankings will be the published ranking; (4) There will be expanded, unpublished rankings (and values for opponents): 76-125 for team, 126-175 for singles, and 61-90 for doubles; (5) The first computer rankings (for team) will take place 2 weeks earlier on March 8; (6) The singles and doubles rankings from Fall results will go back to being a computer ranking; it had been done by committee vote the past three years.

KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME TENNIS: For the fastest results of Notre Dame tennis matches, call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #8. The hotline provides schedule and results information for varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the game recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame tennis match. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu, who also can provide any information about the Irish tennis program.