Senior co-captain Brent D'Amico has seen the Irish post a 6-0 record in the BIG EAST tournament during his career.

Notre Dame Looks To Defend BIG EAST Championship

April 21, 2005

BIG EAST Championship

Tampa, Florida

Thursday, April 21

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m. (EDT) – [4] Georgetown (6-7, 3-2) vs. [5] St. John’s (5-11, 3-2)

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m. – [3] Rutgers (6-8, 4-1) vs. [6] Villanova (7-12, 1-4)

Friday, April 22

Semifinals, 9 a.m. – [1] #35 Notre Dame (16-7, 0-0) vs. Georgetown/St. John’s

Semifinals, Noon – [2] Boston College (11-11, 3-1) vs. Rutgers/Villanova

Fifth-Place Match, 3 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

Final, 9 a.m.

Third-Place Match, 9 a.m.

NOTRE DAME LOOKS TO DEFEND BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: The top-seeded and 35th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team (16-7, 0-0) will look for its fifth title in the BIG EAST Conference Championship this weekend at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The Irish, who gained a first-round bye in the six-team event, open play against either fourth-seeded Georgetown (6-7, 3-2) or fifth-seeded St. John’s (5-11, 3-2) on Friday at 9 a.m. (EDT) in semifinal action, while the title match is slated for Saturday at 9 a.m. Notre Dame has reached the final in all nine years since becoming a conference member, winning championships in 1996, ’99, 2002, and ’04, while seeing the ’03 title match rained out in progress.

HOTLINE TO FEATURE IN-MATCH UPDATES: Fans and media unable to attend the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Tennis Championships will be able to keep up with the action via the Notre Dame Sports Hotline, which will feature in-match updates during all Notre Dame men’s and women’s matches. The hotline will be updated at the top and bottom of each hour, with the possibility of more frequent updates if the action is tight. These reports can be accessed by dialing (574) 631-3000 and selecting option #8 for tennis. In addition, the official athletic website of the University of Notre Dame, www.und.com, will feature recaps of all the Irish action at the end of each day.

LAST TIME ON THE COURTS: Buckeyes sophomore Devin Mullings outlasted Irish sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) in a marathon two-set match in the final contest remaining to give #30 Ohio State (14-7) a 4-3 victory over #29 Notre Dame (16-7) on April 13 at the Stickney Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Irish, who were without the injured senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) – who usually plays No. 3 – in singles, prevailed in a trio of three-set affairs, but eventually fell in their final regular-season match. After it appeared as though it would be an improbable task, Ohio State rallied to win the doubles point, and the Buckeyes ended up taking a trio of straight-set matches in singles, though the contests at the top two positions were extremely close. Notre Dame got three-set victories in singles from juniors Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) and Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and freshman Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.). At the No. 2 position, 52nd-ranked Mullings defeated King 7-5, 7-5 in a match that lasted over three hours to finally give Ohio State the victory, its second by a 4-3 count against the Irish in as many years. With his team trailing 2-0, Buchanan was the first Notre Dame player to finish victorious. He defeated Dennis Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 at No. 5. Parbhu delayed the defeat, beating Chris Klingemann 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 at No. 3 to make the score 3-2. Langenkamp remained perfect in six dual-match singles appearances this season and tied the team score at 3-3 by topping Ross Wilson 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 at No. 6. The Buckeyes ended up prevailing in the top two doubles positions to take the match’s initial point, but Notre Dame had chances to win the doubles point. The Irish held a 7-1 lead before watching OSU run off eight straight games to win at No. 2, while the No. 3 match was abandoned with the Buckeyes ahead 8-7. First off the court in singles was Scott Green, who beat sophomore Irackli Akhvlediani (Vienna, Austria/Vienna International School) 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4. Joey Atas, ranked 53rd, edged sophomore Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 1 to make the score 3-1.

IRISH IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Notre Dame was named the No. 1 seed in the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Men’s Tennis Championship, which will take place Thursday through Saturday at the University of South Florida in Tampa. For the fifth straight year, the format of the event will be a single-elimination tournament of the top six teams in the league, as selected by the conference, with the top two seeds gaining first-round byes. The winner receives the BIG EAST’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championship, which begins at campus sites on May 13. This marks the seventh time in 10 years of competition — but first since 2002 — that the Irish are the top seed. The Irish have advanced to the final in each of the past nine years, taking on host Miami in the first eight before meeting Virginia Tech a year ago. Notre Dame won championships in 1996, ’99, 2002, and ’04, while the ’03 final was rained out.

Play gets underway Thursday morning with fourth-seeded Georgetown (6-7, 3-2) and the fifth seed, St. John’s (5-11, 3-2), playing at 9:00 a.m. In the other quarterfinal matchup, third-seeded Rutgers (6-8, 4-1) will face sixth-seeded Villanova (7-12, 1-4). The semifinals are set for Friday with top-seeded Notre Dame (16-7, 0-0) taking on the Georgetown-St. John’s winner at 9:00 a.m. and second-seeded Boston College (11-11, 3-1) meeting the Rutgers-Villanova victor at Noon. Thursday’s losing teams will play at 3:00 p.m. on Friday for fifth place. The third-place match and final are both scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m.

A season ago, Notre Dame avenged a pair of regular-season losses, beating host Miami (4-1) in the semifinals and top-seeded Virginia Tech (4-2) in the title match to win the BIG EAST championship. The hero of the final was sophomore Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School), who was just three points from defeat before winning 12 consecutive points over Arvid Puranen for a victory at No. 3. The Hokies were up a service break in the third set in the abandoned match (No. 2).

King, as the only BIG EAST Conference player in the national rankings in either singles or doubles (114th in singles), is a candidate for BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player, as is Bass, who has been playing No. 1 for the Irish. Three-time All-American Ryan Sachire (’00) is the only Irish player to win the award, capturing it in 1999 and 2000.

Head coach Bob Bayliss has been named BIG EAST Coach of the Year four times in the last six years. He is again a leading candidate for the award in ’05, as the Irish are the only team in the conference with a winning record and the only one in the national rankings.

In 2003, the conference began also naming six singles players and three doubles teams to its all-tournament team. Senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) was a doubles selection in 2003, while Bass earned singles accolades last season.

YEAR-BY-YEAR: See below Notre Dame’s year-by-year results in the BIG EAST tournament:

1996 -- Champion (No. 1 seed)Second RoundNotre Dame 4, Boston College 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Rutgers 0FinalNotre Dame 4, Miami 0
1997 -- Runner-Up (No. 1 seed)Second RoundNotre Dame 4, Connecticut 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Rutgers 0FinalMiami 4, Notre Dame 1
1998 -- Runner-Up (No. 1 seed)Second RoundNotre Dame 4, Georgetown 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, West Virginia 0FinalMiami 4, Notre Dame 1Coach of the Year -- Bob Bayliss
1999 -- Champion (No. 1 seed)Second RoundNotre Dame 4, Boston College 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Rutgers 0FinalNotre Dame 4, Miami 3Most Outstanding Player -- Ryan SachireCoach of the Year -- Bob Bayliss
2000 -- Runner-Up (No. 2 seed)Second RoundNotre Dame 4, Georgetown 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, St. John's 0FinalMiami 5, Notre Dame 2Most Outstanding Player -- Ryan Sachire
2001 -- Runner-Up (No. 1 seed)SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Rutgers 0FinalMiami 4, Notre Dame 2
2002 -- Champion (No. 1 seed)SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Rutgers 0FinalNotre Dame 4, Miami 1Coach of the Year -- Bob Bayliss
2003 - Finalist [title match rained out] (No. 3 seed)QuarterfinalsNotre Dame 4, St. John's 0SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Virginia Tech 3FinalNotre Dame 0, Miami 0, suspended
2004 -- Champion (No. 2 seed)SemifinalsNotre Dame 4, Miami 1FinalNotre Dame 4, Virginia Tech 2Coach of the Year -- Bob Bayliss

NOTRE DAME CARRIES 18-MATCH WINNING STREAK vs. CURRENT BIG EAST MEMBERS: The Irish enter the postseason riding an 18-match winning streak against current members of the BIG EAST Conference. Overall, Notre Dame is 26-2 (.929) all-time against those schools, with the defeats coming on April 28, 196, at Georgetown in the Cherry Blossom Tournament (5-4 score) and on Feb. 17, 1989, at West Virginia (6-3). The Irish are 6-1 against the Mountaineers; 5-1 vs. the Hoyas; 5-0 against Rutgers; 3-0 vs. Boston College, Pittsburgh, and St. John’s; and 1-0 against Connecticut.

IRISH CARRY SIX-MATCH BIG EAST TOURNAMENT WINNING STREAK: Notre Dame has not lost a match in the BIG EAST Championship since a 4-2 decision vs. Miami in the 2001 final. Since then, the Irish have won six straight, winning championships in 2002 and ’04 and picking up a pair of victories in ’03 before the title match was rained out. Overall, Notre Dame holds a 19-4 all-time record in the BIG EAST tournament, with all four losses coming against Miami in championship matches. The Irish are 15-0 in early-round action (non-finals), with 13 shutouts.

IRISH-RED STORM SERIES NOTES: Should Notre Dame and St. John’s meet in the quarterfinals on Friday, it would be the fourth all-time match between the schools in men’s tennis, as well as the third in the BIG EAST tournament in the last six years. The Irish have registered shutout victories in each of the previous meetings. Notre Dame won 4-0 in the semifinals of the 2000 conference tournament and by the same score in the ’03 quarters. The only regular-season match was a 6-0 Irish triumph at home in 2004. The ’03 match was tight, as it took Notre Dame a three-set win at No. 4 to clinch the victory. Two of the abandoned matches were in third sets, while the other was late in the second. See below boxscores from the last two ND-SJU matches, with current players from both teams in bold.

#49 Notre Dame 6, St. John's 0January 25, 2004 - Notre Dame, Ind. (Indoor)SinglesNo. 1: *Luis Haddock (ND) def. David Nylen (SJU) 6-3, 6-1No. 2: #68 Matthew Scott (ND) def. Aurelio DiZazzo (SJU) 6-3, 6-4No. 3: Brent D'Amico (ND) def. Louis Desmerteaux (SJU) 6-4, 6-1No. 4: Stephen Bass (ND) def. Nick Stocker (SJU) 6-1, 6-3No. 5: Barry King (ND) def. Morgan Bauer (SJU) 6-1, 6-2No. 6: Eric Langenkamp (ND) def. Boris Chiporukha (SJU) 6-1, 6-3Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 1*, 6, 2DoublesNo. 1: #18 Haddock/Ryan Keckley vs. Desmerteaux/DiZazzoNo. 2: D'Amico/Scott (ND) vs. Bauer/NylenNo. 3: S. Bass/King (ND) vs. Chiporukha/Stocker
#54 Notre Dame 4, St. John's 0April 25, 2003 - BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals, Coral Gables, Fla. (Outdoor)SinglesNo. 1: Rick Ferreira (SJU) vs. #106 Luis Haddock (ND) 6-4, 2-6, 3-2, abandonedNo. 2: Matthew Scott (ND) def. Arnaud Agniel (SJU) 6-2, 6-0No. 3: Jake Maxwell (SJU) vs. Brent D'Amico (ND) 1-6, 6-0, 2-1, abandonedNo. 4: Brian Farrell (ND) def. Morgan Bauer (SJU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1No. 5: Nicolas Lopez-Acevedo (ND) def. Nick Stocker (SJU) 6-0, 6-0No. 6: Patrick Buchanan (ND) vs. Boris Chiporukha (SJU) 7-6 (7-2), 5-5, abandonedOrder of Finish: 5, 2, 4*DoublesNo. 1: D'Amico/Scott (ND) def. Agniel/Maxwell (SJU) 8-0No. 2: *Farrell/Haddock (ND) def. Bauer/Chiporukha (SJU) 8-3No. 3: Lopez-Acevedo/Paul McNaughton (ND) def. Ferreira/Stocker (SJU) 7-3, abandonedOrder of Finish: 1, 2*

CURRENT IRISH vs. THE BIG EAST: See below records of current Irish players in the BIG EAST Championship and overall against BIG EAST teams:

Brent D'Amico (Sr.)BIG EAST Championship: 2-2-2 singles, 5-0-1 doublesvs. BIG EAST: 4-5-1 singles, 7-3-1 doublesJimmy Bass (Sr.)vs. BIG EAST: 0-1 singlesPatrick Buchanan (Jr.)BIG EAST Championship: 0-1-2 singlesvs. BIG EAST: 1-2-1 singlesEric Langenkamp (Jr.)BIG EAST Championship: 2-0 singles, 2-0 doublesvs. BIG EAST: 3-2 singles, 3-1 doublesStephen Bass (So.)BIG EAST Championship: 1-0-1 singles, 2-0 doublesvs. BIG EAST: 3-1-1 singles, 3-1 doublesRyan Keckley (So.)BIG EAST Championship: 2-0 doublesvs. BIG EAST: 0-2 singles, 3-1 doublesBarry King (So.)BIG EAST Championship: 2-0 singlesvs. BIG EAST: 4-1 singles

IRISH HEAD COACH: Bob Bayliss is in his 18th year at Notre Dame with a 325-156 (.676) record, while his 36-year career mark stands at 607-250 (.708). On Feb. 18 vs. Northwestern, he became just the fourth active NCAA Division I coach to reach 600 career victories. Bayliss has had just one losing season in his career and has seen his teams finish in the top 20 nine times in the past 15 years, advancing to the NCAA round of 16 on five occasions, highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance in 1993 and a national runner-up finish in ’92. He also is one of just four coaches in Division I to have led his current team to 13 NCAA tournaments over the last 14 seasons. Bayliss, named national coach of the year in 1980 and ’92, is a four-time ITA Midwest Region coach of the year and 11-time conference coach of the year (including on four occasions in the last seven years in the BIG EAST). In his time at Notre Dame, Bayliss’ teams have won 11 conference titles, while his players have earned All-America honors 17 times, won eight national ITA awards, and earned 16 invitations to the NCAA Singles Championship and 11 to the NCAA doubles tournament.

ND FALLS TO 35TH IN ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS: After losing to #30 Ohio State 4-3 last week on the road, Notre Dame fell six spots to a season-low 35th in this week’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings. The Irish began the spring 34th and peaked at 16th on March 15.

KING ONLY RANKED PLAYER IN THE BIG EAST: The BIG EAST Conference is represented just one time in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national singles and doubles rankings, and that is Irish sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College), who is 114th in the singles listing.

IRISH REACH HIGHEST NATIONAL RANKING SINCE 2002: On March 15, Notre Dame ascended to 16th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings, marking the highest listing for the Irish since concluding the 2001-02 campaign at 14th.

GETTING IT DONE AS A TEAM: Notre Dame has just one singles player – sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College), at 114th – and no doubles teams (60 are ranked) in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings, but still is 35th in the team listing. The Irish are the only team in the top 45 of the team rankings that does not have either a ranked doubles team or a top-100 singles player. Notre Dame is one of just three top-40 squads that does not have a top-100 singles player (also #19 Tulane and #20 Mississippi State), while just five higher-ranked teams join the Irish in having no nationally-ranked teams in doubles (#10 Texas Tech, #16 USC, #17 Wake Forest, #31 San Diego, and #32 Texas).

PARBHU HITS 30-WIN PLATEAU: Freshman Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.) enters the postseason with a 30-7 record in singles this season. He is the 11th Notre Dame player to post a 30-win season and the first since 2004 grad Matthew Scott was 32-5 in 2001-02. In all, Irish players have won 30+ singles matches in a season on 17 occasions, with Ryan Sachire (1997-2000) doing it four times, David DiLucia (1989-91) accomplishing the feat on three occasions, and Andy Zurcher (1990-91) doing it twice. In addition, current junior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) currently stands 28-9. If he reaches 30 wins, it would be just the third time that teammates have had 30+ singles victories in the same season. The first was the 1989-90 campaign, when Andy Zurcher (36-9), David DiLucia (33-12), Ron Rosas (33-12), and Chuck Coleman (33-13) all did so. The most-recent occasion was 1996-97, when Ryan Sachire was 37-9 and Danny Rothschild finished 33-12.

IRISH LOOK TO EXTEND 19-MATCH WINNING STREAK AGAINST UNRANKED TEAMS: As no other BIG EAST Conference members are in the national rankings, Notre Dame will look to extend its current 19-match winning streak against unranked squads. The last unranked team to beat the Irish was Indiana, who won 4-3 at Notre Dame on Jan. 27, 2003.

D’AMICO BREAKS IRISH RECORD FOR CAREER DOUBLES-POINT CLINCHING WINS: Senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) has clinched the doubles point for Notre Dame four times this season, bringing his career total to 21, which is the most by an Irish player since the statistic was first kept in 1999. The previous Notre Dame record was 20 by 2002 graduate Aaron Talarico.

THE KING OF CLINCHING: Sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) has five match-clinching victories in singles to his credit this season, as well as five doubles-point clinching wins. His total of 10 clinching victories is just one shy of the most by an Irish player since the statistic debuted in 1999. The record of 11 was done by both Javier Taborga (3 singles, 8 doubles) and Aaron Talarico (1 singles, 10 doubles) in 2000. Two others – Ryan Sachire (4 singles, 6 doubles) in 1999 and Javier Taborga (6 singles, 4 doubles) in 2002 – have had 10 clinches in a season.

KECKLEY THE (DOUBLES) CLINCHER: Sophomore Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) has clinched the doubles point for Notre Dame seven times this season, which puts him in a fourth-place tie on the Irish list of most doubles clinches in a season since that was first kept in 1999. The record is 10, done by Aaron Talarico in 2000, while Javier Taborga (2000) and Luis Haddock (2001) both clinched eight. Two others – Ashok Raju in 2002 and current senior Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School) in 2004 – have had seven doubles clinching wins in a season.

D’AMICO/KECKLEY SECOND IN CAREER CLINCHES FOR A DOUBLES TEAM: Senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) and sophomore Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) have clinched the doubles point for the Irish four times this season. The duo had three clinching wins in 2004, and the seven career clinches puts them second among Notre Dame doubles teams in the category since it debuted in 1999. The record of 13 was done by 2002 graduates Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico.

D’AMICO IN IRISH CAREER DOUBLES RECORD BOOK: Senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) is beginning to show up on some of Notre Dame’s career doubles lists. See below a summary of his positions:

Category Stat Rank Next All-Time Leader

Doubles Wins 59 — 20th-Joe Nelligan (1983-86), 61 Jakub Pietrowski (1995-98), 95

Doubles Clinching Wins 21 1st [2nd-Aaron Talarico (1999-2002), 20) Brent D’Amico (2002-05), 21 (individual)

Doubles Clinching Wins 7 2nd 1st-Javier Taborga/Aaron Talarico (1999-2001), 13 (team) (w/Ryan Keckley)

Combined Clinching Wins 23 T-4th 3rd-Aaron Talarico (1999-2002), 28 Luis Haddock (2001-04), 31 (w/Matthew Scott)

BUCHANAN & KING CLINCHING WINS: Junior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) and sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) have both provided the match-clinching victory on five occasions this season. The most singles clinching wins in a season since the statistic debuted in 1999 is six, which was done by Andrew Laflin in 2000 and Javier Taborga in 2002. Four others have had five clinches in a season: Aaron Talarico in 2001, Matthew Scott in 2002, and Luis Haddock in 2002 and ’04.

CLASS OF THE CONFERENCES: After being an independent for the first 60 years of varsity action, Notre Dame has been in a conference in 21 of the last 23 seasons. In that span, the Irish have won 11 league titles (plus had the ’03 BIG EAST final rained out with no winner declared), been the runner-up five times, and have never finished worse than third (three times, not since 1984-85). Notre Dame joined the Midwestern City Conference (later the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and now the Horizon League) and competed in it from 1982-83 until 1985-86. After two more years as an independent, the Irish rejoined the MCC and won seven consecutive championships from 1988-89 to 1994-95. Notre Dame has been a BIG EAST Conference member since then, winning four championships in nine years (and finishing second four times).

TRENDS: See below some Irish trends in this dual-match season:

– Notre Dame has won the doubles point 13 times in 23 matches this season and has gone on to win the match on 11 occasions after taking a 1-0 lead.

– The Irish have a 5-5 record when losing the doubles point, having come back to defeat Wisconsin (6-1), Northwestern (5-2), Michigan State (4-3), Rice (4-3), and Michigan (5-2).

– Notre Dame has played eight 4-3 matches this season, beating Florida State, Michigan State, William & Mary, and Rice, while losing to Texas, #2 Virginia, Boise State, and Ohio State.

– Ten of the 23 Irish matches this season have been undecided with only three-set affairs left on the court. Notre Dame holds a 6-4 mark in those matches.

– Notre Dame’s winningest position is No. 3 singles, where four Irish players – senior Brent D’Amico (4-0), sophomores Barry King (12-3) and Ryan Keckley (1-0), and freshman Sheeva Parbhu (3-0) – have combined for a 20-3 record.

– In doubles, the Irish are 16-7 at No. 2, with four teams combining for that record. Eric Langenkamp and Sheeva Parbhu are 10-6, while Ryan Keckley and Barry King are 4-1.

– ND is 9-0 this season when winning at No. 1 singles. Dating back to last year, the Irish have won 11 consecutive matches when prevailing at No. 1. The last loss was a 4-3 defeat at Virginia Tech on April 4, 2004, which came despite 80th-ranked Luis Haddock defeating #57 Andreas Laulund 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1.

– ND is 14-1 this season when winning at No. 2 singles, with the lone defeat coming in a 4-3 decision against Boise State in the quarterfinals of the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic, which came despite Stephen Bass beating Thomas Schoeck 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2.

– ND is 10-1 this season when winning at No. 1 doubles, with the lone defeat coming in a 4-3 affair with #2 Virginia on Feb. 27, which came despite Brent D’Amico and Ryan Keckley downing Nick Meythaler and Rylan Rizza 9-7 at No. 1.

– ND is 8-1 this season when winning at No. 3 doubles, with the lone defeat coming in a 5-2 match at SMU on April 4, which came despite Stephen Bass and Sheeva Parbhu defeating Gwinyai Chingoka and David Kuczer at No. 3.

– ND is 0-5 this season when losing at No. 4 singles. The last time the Irish overcame a defeat at that position to prevail was in the final of the 2004 BIG EAST Championship, when Notre Dame won 4-2 against Virginia Tech, despite the Hokies winning there.

NOTRE DAME BECOMES SIXTH SCHOOL WITH 1,000 VICTORIES: A 5-2 upset of #18 North Carolina on Jan. 29 served as the 1,000th victory in the 83-year history of the Irish varsity program. The Irish became just the sixth Division I program to register 1,000 victories, joining Texas, Georgia, USC, Stanford, and UCLA. Notre Dame has an all-time record of 1,011-435-4 (.699).

BAYLISS HITS 600: Notre Dame’s 5-2 home victory against Northwestern on Feb. 18 marked the 600th in the illustrious career of Irish head coach Bob Bayliss. The mentor, who is in his 36th year as a head coach, currently stands 607-250 (.708). He is one of just four active Division I coaches to have 600+ career wins, joining Furman’s Paul Scarpa, Rich Gugat of Air Force, and Rice’s Ron Smarr, who saw his Owls lose 4-3 to Bayliss’ Irish last week at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic. Bayliss is 325-156 (.676) in 18 years at Notre Dame after previously coaching for 15 seasons at Navy (1970-84) and for three at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1985-87).

BUCHANAN FASTEST IRISH PLAYER EVER TO REACH 20 WINS: Junior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) defeated David Stone 6-3, 6-4 at No. 6 singles on Jan. 29 in helping Notre Dame to a 5-2 upset of #18 North Carolina. That victory improved his season singles record to 20-2 and made him the fastest Notre Dame player ever to win 20 matches in a season. Previously, the quickest any Irish student-athlete registered his 20th singles victory was on Feb. 6, 1999, when third-ranked Ryan Sachire (’01) defeated #25 Daniel Andersson of VCU to win the consolation title in the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships to improve to 20-4. The three-time Irish All-American went 37-9 that season. The last time an Irish player won 20 of his first 22 matches was in 2001-02, when Matthew Scott opened 22-2 en route to a 32-5 mark.

IRISH ONLY TEAM WITH FIVE IN TOP 21 IN MIDWEST REGION: After a fall season that saw Notre Dame’s depth showcased at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Championships, the Irish were rewarded when the ITA’s Midwest Region rankings were released on Nov. 30. Notre Dame was the only school to have five players among the top 21 in the region in singles (no other school – including #5 Illinois and #11 Ohio State – had more than three). In fact, only three teams in Division I – also #32 Oklahoma State and #60 Tulsa in the Central Region – placed five among the top 21 in their respective regions. Sophomore Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School), who reached the semis of the ITA Midwest Championships, led the way in a fourth-place tie with Ohio State’s Joey Atas after he was 10-3 in the first semester, with wins against #97 Atas and #56 Paul Rose of Purdue and all of his defeats coming vs. nationally-ranked opponents. Sophomore Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College) checked in at 14th after going 7-3 and reaching the round of 16 of the ITA Midwest Championships, and notching upsets of #26 Jeff Kader of William & Mary and #50 Chris Martin of Illinois. Rookie Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.), who reached the semifinals of the Midland Invitational and the A flight of the Crimson Tide Fall Championships, as well as being one of just two freshmen in the round of 16 in the regional tournament, was ranked 18th after going 12-4 and defeating #31 Derrick Spice of Wake Forest. Junior Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.) was 19th following a fall season in which he went 16-2 and reached the round of 16 in the Midwest Championships, while senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) came in 21st with a 6-3 record. D’Amico and junior Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) were Notre Dame’s only entrant in the doubles listing, coming in at 14th after advancing to the final 16 in the regional championships.

PARBHU TOP ROOKIE IN REGION: Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, Neb./Millard North H.S.), who reached the semifinals of the Midland Invitational and upset #31 Derrick Spice of Wake Forest en route to the same round in the A flight of the Crimson Tide Fall Championships, was the top-ranked freshman in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Region rankings, released Nov. 30. He went 12-4 in his first collegiate semester and was one of just two rookies to reach the final 16 in the ITA Midwest Championships. In fact, only four freshmen were in the top 30 of the regional singles rankings, with Michigan’s Matko Maravic 20th, Mike McCarthy of Indiana at 26th, and Illinois’ Monte Tucker coming in 30th. Parbhu currently stands 25-6 on the season, including 13-2 in dual matches, mostly at No. 4, with one of those victories a straight-set win against McCarthy and another a three-setter against Chris Westerhof to clinch Notre Dame’s 4-3 win against Florida State.

IRISH DEPTH SHINES AT ITA MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Notre Dame’s depth was the story in the annual indoor tournament of the top players in the region, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Championships, held Oct. 21-26 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Irish took up three of the eight qualifying spots into the main draw (more than any other team) to have a total of eight student-athletes among the 64-player singles field. No other school had more than six in this year’s tournament, and no team other than the Irish has qualified more than six in the main draw since the current format was adopted three years ago (Notre Dame also had seven participants in 2003-04). All but one Irish player was victorious in the opening round, giving Notre Dame by far the most players (seven) in the round of 32. The Irish also had four in the final 16 of the singles draw, the most of any school.

Stephen Bass BECOMES FIRST SOPHOMORE SINCE 1998 TO PLAY No. 1 FOR ND: Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) has played No. 1 singles for the Irish in 13 matches this spring. He is the first sophomore to play at the top of the Notre Dame singles lineup since three-time All-American Ryan Sachire played No. 1 for the Irish during all of the 1997-98 season, compiling an 18-6 record. Bass is 7-3 at No. 1.

NO DOUBLES? NO PROBLEM: Losing the doubles point has not necessarily translated into a loss for Notre Dame, as the Irish are 11-12 over the past two seasons when dropping the match’s initial point. Notre Dame is 5-5 this year, having come back to win after losing the doubles against Wisconsin (6-1), Northwestern (5-2), Michigan State (4-3), Rice (4-3), and Michigan (5-2).

STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into Thursday’s match against Illinois:

– Stephen Bass has won 28 consecutive matches when taking the opening set (35-1 career record) [only loss: 2/8/04 vs. Purdue’s David Robinson, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 1-0 (10-8)]

– Brent D’Amico has won 18 consecutive matches when winning the opening set [last loss: 2/1/04 vs. Duke’s Jason Zimmermann 1-6, 6-2, 6-1]

– Eric Langenkamp has won 10 consecutive singles dual matches [last loss: 2/29/04 vs. Miami’s Jeremiah Fuller 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-7)]

– Patrick Buchanan has lost eight consecutive match tiebreakers (career record: 1-8) [only win: 9/19/02 vs. William & Mary’s Alexander Fish 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-2)]

D’AMICO EARNS BIG EAST SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: Senior co-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) was a recipient of a $2,000 stipend presented by the BIG EAST Conference as Notre Dame’s nominees for the conference’s male scholar-athlete awards. D’Amico, who owns a 3.758 grade-point average and is enrolled as a finance major in the Mendoza College of Business, was the one Irish male student-athlete selected for the honor, based on his athletic and academic accomplishments.

D’AMICO, CHIMERAKIS SERVE AS IRISH CAPTAINS: Seniors Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) and Nick Chimerakis (North Palm Beach, Fla./Benjamin School) were elected captains of this year’s Notre Dame team. D’Amico, also a tri-captain as a junior, is just the fifth two-year captain in the last 25 years for the Irish, while Chimerakis has made the journey from earning a spot on the team in walk-on tryouts in 2002-03 to assuming a leadership role.

KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME TENNIS: For the fastest results of Notre Dame tennis matches, call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #8. The hotline provides schedule and results information for varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the game recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame tennis match. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu, who also can provide any information about the Irish tennis program.