Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Men's Tennis Qualifies For National Indoors

Dec. 17, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team will take part in the United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships taking place Feb. 7-10 at the Louisville Tennis Club in Louisville, Ky. The 16-team field for the nation’s premier national indoor tournament was announced today by the ITA with the Irish earning a bid for the first time since 1996.

Five teams on Notre Dame’s 2002 dual-match schedule are in the field: Duke, Illinois, Indiana State, host Kentucky and SMU. Also making the tournament is Southern California, which the Irish defeated 5-2 in an exhibition match in October. Rounding out the field are Brown, California, NCAA champion Georgia, Mississippi, Pepperdine, Stanford, NCAA finalist Tennessee and UCLA. One more team will be added in January.

UCLA is the defending champion in the event, which dates back to 1973. The Bruins and three other Pac-10 schools have combined to win each title since 1987. Either Stanford or UCLA has been victorious in each of the past 12 years. Only three times has a non-California school won the event and every champion has been from either California or Texas.

Notre Dame, which returns its entire starting lineup from last year’s team that was 17-7 and finished 16th, opens its spring season on January 19 with a doubleheader, taking on UC-Irvine at 9 a.m. and Furman at 4 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The preseason national team rankings will be released Jan. 8.