Jan. 28, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 12th-ranked Notre Dame men’s tennis squad will face both Michigan State and Northwestern this week, looking to improve upon their 2-1 dual match record this season. The Irish play host to the Spartans on Wednesday afternoon with the first serve set for 4 p.m. (ET) at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. They then travel to Northwestern to match up with the Wildcats on Friday with competition set to begin at 4 p.m. (CT) at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
Michigan State heads into the competition with a 5-1 record, suffering their first loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday, 4-3. Northwestern has a record of 4-1 heading into the match with the Irish. Its one loss of the season came against Louisville on Jan. 18, falling 6-1 to the Cardinals. They have since bounced back to defeat both Ball State, 6-1, and Butler, 7-0, in their last two matches.
The Irish head into this week’s action with a 2-1 dual-match record, after falling to the number one team in the nation, Virginia, on Sunday. Despite the loss, success was still found on the court for Notre Dame as senior Sheeva Parbhu knocked off third-ranked Dominic Inglot in singles action, dominating Inglot 6-1, 6-1 for the stunning victory.
This will be the 76th meeting between Notre Dame and Michigan State, in a series that dates back all the way to 1926. The Irish lead the all-time series, 44-32, with head coach Bobby Bayliss leading an impressive 18-1 record over the Spartans in his career at Notre Dame. The loss came in his first season with the Irish, making it 18 consecutive wins for Bayliss over Michigan State.
Another long all-time series exists between Notre Dame and Northwestern with this being the 75th meeting between the two squads. The Irish lead, 39-36-1, with Bayliss’ record against the Wildcats at 14-4. Under Bayliss, Notre Dame has defeated Northwestern in the past four meetings, including a sweep over the Wildcats last season as the Irish dominated them 7-0.
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