Oct. 8, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Irish men’s tennis team will continue their 2009 fall schedule in Cambridge, Mass. when they take part in the Harvard Invitational on Oct. 9-11. The tree day event will feature individual and doubles matches (as part of a hidden duals format) involving student-athletes from Alabama, Minnesota and Harvard in addition to Notre Dame.
The tournament will be played either indoors or outdoors as dictated by the weather. At the end of the three days of play, an All-Tournament team will be selected. The action is scheduled to get underway at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s portion of the Invitational will begin at 9:00 a.m.
The Invitational will provide good competition for the Irish, as Alabama finished last season ranked 16th, Minnesota 30th and, perennial Ivy League power, Harvard 63rd.
“It will be a great chance to see how our guys react and play versus three teams that have had much success over the years,” Irish men’s tennis coach Bobby Bayliss said.
Juniors Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio), Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, Md.), David Anderson (Sandwich, Mass.), Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) and Matt Johnson (Portage, Mich.); sophomores Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa.) and Sam Keeton (Kansas City, Mo.) as well as freshmen Blas Moros (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Michael Moore (Glenview, Ill.) are expected to participate for the Irish.
The Harvard Invitational marks Notre Dame’s second event of the fall season, having opened up at the Olympia Fields Invitational on Friday, September 18. The three-day tournament took place at the Olympia Fields Country Club and was hosted by Illinois.
Against top players from Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Northwestern and Florida State, Notre Dame’s 10 participants picked up 11 singles wins and added three doubles triumphs. Watt, 90th in the ITA singles rankings, helped lead the way with three singles victories. Freshmen Moore, Moros and Spencer Talmadge (Hillsborough, CA/Junipero Serra) made their Irish debuts at the event.
Results from the Harvard Invitational can be accessed at GoCrimson.com at the end of each day, while a recap of Notre Dame’s performance at the tournament will be posted on und.com.
— ND —