Sept. 21, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – On the eve of the 20th Annual Tom Fallon Invitational, the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team took three of four doubles matches and the only singles match in an impromptu meeting with Ball State Thursday night.
At No. 1 doubles, senior Ryan Keckley and junior Sheeva Parbhu, ranked No. 36 in the preseason ITA poll, had little trouble with the Cardinals’ No. 1 tandem of Jarrod Epkey and Aaron Phillips, 8-4. Keckley and Parbhu went 2-4 in 2005-06.
Joe Epkey and Jorge Rodriguez of Ball State captured No. 2 doubles with an 8-3 victory over Notre Dame’s Brett Helgeson and Santiago Montoya.
The Irish were victorious at both No. 3 and No. 4 doubles. Barry King and Andrew Roth routed Jimmy Brannon and Joe Vallee, 8-0, while Graham King and Takaski Yoshii defeated Jose Perdomo and Bret Berryman, 8-5.
In the lone singles match, Irackli Akhvlediani of Notre Dame got past Tetta Oyama of Ball State, 8-5.
The Fallon Invitational will officially get underway Friday morning. The Irish and Cardinals, as well as Purdue and Western Michigan, will play singles matches starting at 8:30 a.m.
— ND —