Feb. 11, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 28th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team (3-4) snapped a three-match losing streak by winning 6-1 over previously-unbeaten Purdue (4-1) Saturday afternoon in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish will continue their only homestand of the season by playing host to a doubleheader on Sunday, facing Wisconsin at Noon (EST) and Bradley at 5 p.m. in the Eck Pavilion.
“Purdue competed awfully well today,” said Irish head coach Bob Bayliss. “I was impressed with the improvement they have made. I think they will be one of the most-improved teams in the Midwest this year.”
For the fourth time this spring, Notre Dame won the doubles point, which came down to the No. 2 match. Sophomore Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) and freshman Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West H.S.) prevailed by an 8-3 score in a hard-fought contest with freshmen Kelubia Mabatah and Kurt Zaske. The Irish duo edged above .500 as a team, improving to 5-4, and is now 2-1 when the doubles point comes down to their match, having also prevailed in that situation against USC in fall exhibition action.
Senior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and sophomore Andrew Roth (Houston, Texas/Tenney School) continued to be impressive as a doubles team, prevailing 8-5 against Colin Foster and Scott Warner – Purdue’s top two players in singles – at No. 3. That Notre Dame pair is now unbeaten in three matches todgether. Roth moved to 7-1 in doubles this season, while Langenkamp became the first Irish player to register eight wins in partnered play this season (8-4 record), shortly before Helgeson (8-4 record) equaled that feat. Langenkamp has been Notre Dame’s most-consistent winner in doubles this spring, going 5-2 in dual play.
Eric Hodgman, a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Patrick Rose got a late service break against juniors Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.), a graduate of St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, and Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) to send them to an 8-5 victory at No. 1 and keep the Boilers’ hopes for the doubles point alive.
Keckley continued to establish himself as the fastest-finishing Irish player – as well as the most-successful in singles this spring. He beat Canadian Jarred Leibner 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5 to be the first one done in singles for the fifth time in seven matches this spring. He also moved to 8-2 on the season, including 6-1 in dual singles action after being just 11-8 in his first two campaigns. Keckley has won seven in a row at home in singles.
Purdue avoided the shutout when Zaske beat Irish senior captain Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6. It snapped a six-match home winning streak for the Notre Dame veteran.
Junior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) ended a three-match losing streak (all against top-40 players) by defeating Foster 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1. Bass improved to 15-5 overall this season, with four of his defeats coming against opponents ranked in the national top 10 (three in three sets). He is 3-4 in dual play at No. 1, but has now won nine in a row at home in singles. Foster had been 4-0 at No. 1 this spring.
Parbhu earned his second clinching win of the season – and fourth of his career – by downing Warner 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2. Ranked 14th nationally, he is now 16-4 overall in 2005-06 – sharing the overall team lead for singles victories with Bass – including 5-2 in dual matches. Parbhu has won nine in a row at home and 20 straight matches when prevailing in the opening set.
After the outcome was determined, King won 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 3 over freshman Patrick Rose, who came in with a 12-4 record on the season (4-0 dual). The Irishman ended a three-match skid – which matched the longest of his collegiate career – and moved to 4-3 on the season. He is 9-8 in his collegiate career in three-set affairs.
Helgeson survived a tight match with Hodgman, eventually coming back to win a match tiebreaker for a 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 (10-4) triumph. The Notre Dame rookie ended a three-match losing streak and moved to 11-4 on the season.
Notre Dame beat Purdue for the 17th consecutive time (since a home loss in 1987) and now holds a 50-9 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1937. The Irish – who have won 13 straight at home in the series – have more all-time wins against the Boilermakers than vs. any other squad. Bayliss holds a 16-0 career mark against Purdue and has more wins without a defeat against just one school (Georgetown, 17-0 record).
#28 Notre Dame 6, #66 Purdue 1SinglesNo. 1: #8 Stephen Bass (ND) def. Colin Foster (P) 6-4, 6-4No. 2: *#14 Sheeva Parbhu (ND) def. Scott Warner (P) 6-2, 6-2No. 3: Barry King (ND) def. Patrick Rose (P) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3No. 4: Brett Helgeson (ND) def. Eric Hodgman (P) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 (10-4)No. 5: Ryan Keckley (ND) def. Jarred Leibner (P) 6-1, 6-4No. 6: Kurt Zaske (P) def. Patrick Buchanan (ND) 6-4, 6-2Order of Finish: 5, 6, 1, 2*, 3, 4DoublesNo. 1: Hodgman/Pat. Rose (P) def. Keckley/King (ND) 8-5No. 2: *Helgeson/Parbhu (ND) def. Kelubia Mabatah/Zaske (P) 8-3No. 3: Eric Langenkamp/Andrew Roth (ND) def. Foster/Warner (P) 8-5Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*