Nov. 11, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Men’s tennis head coach Bobby Bayliss has announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Notre Dame and continue their tennis careers at the collegiate level, beginning in the fall of 2010. The four signees include Greg Andrews of Richland, Mich., Ryan Bandy of Cincinnati, Ohio, Matt Dooley of New Braunfels, Texas and Billy Pecor of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Andrews, a senior at Gull Lake High School in Richland, signs with the Irish after having recently captured the 2009 high school state championship in Michigan. He made it through the entire scholastic season without dropping a set. He also played No. 3 singles for the Midwest team that won the USTA Boys National Team Championships in August. He was joined on that national championship team by current Irish freshman Michael Moore. Andrews comes to the Irish as the highest ranked player from the Midwest Region and the 15th-ranked prospect in the nation according to tennisrecruting.net (he had been ranked as high as eighth overall as recently as last week). He carries an overall 2009 junior circuit record of 59-17, including a 25-17 mark versus fellow Blue Chip and five star recruits.
“Greg will make a tremendous impact on college tennis during his four years at Notre Dame,” Bayliss said. “His combination of speed and power is very unique, and the weapons that he has at his disposal will carry him a long way. Besides the phenomenal talent that Greg has on the court, he is also an elite student and a great person, thus making him a perfect fit for Notre Dame and our tennis program.”
Ryan Bandy
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Bandy, a senior at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, is the third-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio according to tennisrecruiting.net, and he has been ranked consistently in the nation’s top-100, reaching as high as 67th in 2009. He placed third in last spring’s state high school championships. He carries a 2009 junior circuit record of 26-16.
“Coming to us from the great state of Ohio, Ryan has consistently been one of the very elite players in the Midwest section throughout his junior career,” said associate head coach Ryan Sachire. “Ryan has a great combination of size and athleticism, and these two elements will enable him to compete physically with the best players in the country at the college level. We are excited to have Ryan coming to Notre Dame next fall and are very much looking forward to having him represent the Irish for the next four years.”
Dooley, a senior at New Braunfels High School in New Braunfels, joins the Irish as the eighth-ranked prospect from the state of Texas according to tennisrecruiting.net. He went undefeated at No. 1 singles for New Braunfels, leading the team to an undefeated record in 2009 and their third consecutive state championship. Another fixture in the top-100, Dooley has been ranked as high as 73rd overall in 2009. He carries an overall 2009 junior circuit record of 53-30.
Matt Dooley
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“Matt is one of the true sleepers in this year’s recruiting class,” said Bayliss. “He has a tremendously high skill level and can do just about everything on the tennis court. We are excited that Matt chose Notre Dame as his next stop, because we feel that he will blossom into a major impact player for us on the collegiate stage.”
Pecor, a senior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, is the top-ranked player from Arizona, the eighth ranked player from the Southwest Region and the 22nd-ranked player in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net. He carries an overall 2009 junior circuit record of 75-15, including a 27-12 mark versus blue chip and five star recruits. On Sept. 21, Pecor captured the Boys’ 18 singles title at Mike Agassi’s No Quit Championships.
Billy Pecor
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“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Billy joining our program next year,” Sachire said. “Billy was recruited as a Top- 10 prospect by some of the nation’s best programs because of all of the talent that he possesses. He plays a very big, aggressive game and already has weapons that will allow him to succeed at this level the minute he steps foot on campus. Billy will accomplish big things during his career at Notre Dame.”
Bayliss, Sachire and the Notre Dame men’s tennis team open the 2010 dual season on Jan. 22 when they play host to William & Mary at 5:00 p.m. in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.