Jan. 25, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 12 Notre Dame men’s tennis team will once again be home as the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers travel to Notre Dame for a dual-match competition at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish will take the opportunity against the top-ranked team in the nation to make a step up in the national rankings. The first serve is set for noon (ET) with doubles action kicking off the competition.
The Irish go into Sunday’s match after sweeping their doubleheader a week ago. Notre Dame defeated both Penn State and Toledo with scores of 5-2 and 7-0, respectively. The competitions were Notre Dame’s first dual-matches of the season, starting the Irish off with a 2-0 record. Brett Helgeson remains Notre Dame’s top ranked competitor, holding the No. 11 spot nationally in singles competition.
Virginia also opened up its dual-match season last Sunday when they defeated No. 43 William and Mary, 7-0. The No. 1 singles athlete in the nation, Somdev Devvarman, is the Cavaliers top competitor.
“We’ve had a great series with Virginia the last couple of years with some very exciting matches,” head coach Bobby Bayliss said. “We’re looking forward to some terrific tennis this Sunday. Brian (Boland) has done an unbelievable job, taking an unranked team in his first season to the pinnacle of college tennis this season. We are excited to match up this weekend with such a high caliber team.”
This will only be the fifth time the two schools have met in men’s tennis action, the fourth consecutive meeting. Virginia leads the series, 1-3, each competition coming under the authority of head coach Bobby Bayliss for the Irish.
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