Niall Fitzgerald and the Irish are looking to knock-off Tulsa in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoors.

The Irish Travel To Tulsa For ITA National Team Indoors

Jan. 29, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s tennis team will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take part in the ITA National Team Indoors as part of the inaugural ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

The 32nd-ranked Irish are the fourth seed at the Tulsa regional. They will face top-seeded and 12th-ranked Tulsa on Saturday, January 31 with the match slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. inside the Case Tennis Center. Saturday’s other match in the Tulsa regional features 16th-ranked LSU and 20th-ranked Texas Tech.

The losers from Saturday’s matches in Tulsa will play Sunday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m., with Saturday’s winners meeting at 1:00 p.m. The winner of Sunday afternoon’s match in Tulsa, along with the other 14 regional winners, will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago, Illinois.

This season, the ITA National Team Indoor Championships are part of the inaugural ITA Kick-Off Weekend, which showcases the top 60 men’s and women’s varsity teams in the country each squaring off at 15 campus sites. In addition to the men’s team traveling to Tulsa, the Notre Dame women’s squad is a second seed in the Arkansas regional. The 15 men’s and 15 women’s teams to win both of their matches at each regional will be invited to play in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, February 13-16. The University of Illinois will serve as the host for the men’s Championship at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago, Illinois.

Of the 60 men’s team participating, 56 are currently ranked in the top 60 of the ITA Rankings. Each site has been seeded one through four with the No. 1 seed pitted against the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds matched up on the first day of play. The other 2009 ITA opening-weekend host schools on the men’s side include Georgia, Virginia, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, Mississippi, USC, Baylor, Tennessee, Florida, Pepperdine, North Carolina, Boise State and Penn State.

The Irish have participated in ITA National Team Indoors on nine occasions, including a six-year run from 1991-96. The Irish next appeared in the National Team Indoors in 2002, before taking part in 2007 and 2008. They had their best showing at the event in 1992, when they finished tied for third. Last season, head coach Bobby Bayliss’ squad finished in an eleventh-place tie. The Irish own an all-time record of 15-18 at the event.

Live Stats for this year’s matches involving the Irish can be found through Tulsa’s official Athletic website and/or by accessing the link: http://tulsahurricane.cstv.com/livestats/m-tennis/

— ND —