SMC BASKETBALL: Belles badly need win against Hope
By TREY WILLIAMS
Sports Writer
After fruitlessly looking for a win in their first four matches of the season, the Irish finally triumphed Tuesday with a road win at Wisconsin.
And in case anyone were to suggest Wisconsin was too easy of an opponent, Notre Dame completely dominated the match, winning 7-0.
"Everyone's very pleased with the victory," junior Matt Scott said. "When you go 0-4, you start to lose the feeling of what it's like to pick up a win. It just reminded us what that felt like and it's a great feeling. We want to keep getting there."
The Irish began the match by winning the doubles point against a program that has lost to Notre Dame in each of their past 12 meetings. Juniors Ben Hatten and Nicolas Lopez-Acevedo won the first match, 8-3. The duo are now 3-1 in doubles play on the season. Then Scott, one of three team captains, and sophomore Brent D'Amico claimed the doubles point for the Irish with their 8-5 win. Wisconsin's only victorious match of the day occurred at No. 2 doubles, with the Badgers' David Hippee and Alexander Karasov defeating Irish junior Luis Haddock and junior Brian Farrell, 8-5.
"Wisconsin was a good team," Scott said. "They have a strong doubles team. They have some good players, but we came out strong. We were really well prepared. Everyone came through. We played with a lot of determination and we fought hard."
The Irish did not expect the Badgers to prove as formidable an opponent than much of their other competition this season.
"I think everyone understands that Wisconsin is a team we should beat every time we go out there," D'Amico said. "It's something that we probably expect out of ourselves."
Still, D'Amico believes that the Irish have made noteworthy improvements as the season, which began with the worst start in school history, has progressed.
"I know that we're improving every day," he said. "[The Badgers] are not as strong a team as the other teams we've played. We're just trying to build on every day."
The win over Wisconsin suggests that the Irish are, as a team, overcoming their relative inexperience. Freshman Patrick Buchanan defeated Jordan Raemisch, 6-4, 6-3 and junior Nicolas Lopez-Acevedo, who has played little, triumphed 6-1, 6-1 over the Badgers' Jeremiah Fuller.
Additionally, junior tri-captain Brian Farrell, making his comeback after a season-long injury hiatus last year, topped Ward Bortz, 6-4, 6-2.
Experienced veterans and team captains Haddock, ranked 72nd nationally, and Scott, ranked 119th, led the Irish at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Haddock prevailed over Kasarov, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, and Scott straightened out Hippee, 6-3, 7-5.
Scott believes the team's victory will serve as an important confidence booster, especially with the Irish facing two tough opponents this weekend. The Irish will visit Purdue Saturday and will face Duke at home Sunday.
"I think we all knew deep down inside that we were capable of playing tennis," Scott said. "It was just a matter of doing so in a match. I don't think it makes a statement. It just boosts our confidence.
But D'Amico thinks the Irish made a statement of sorts Tuesday.
"If you're going to beat someone, you want to beat them as bad as you can," he said. "I think it was a goal of everyone on our team today that we wanted to go out and make a statement to them and to ourselves by beating them and not giving up a point."
With their first win under their belt, the Irish are hoping the lessons learned from the early season will carry on into the weekend.
"It's one win, long year," Scott said. "It's definitely a much more positive bus ride home. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We're glad that we got this win and we're looking forward to picking up another at Purdue."
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 5, 2003
