Irish dominate Gophers, look ahead to Badgers
By RACHAEL BIBER
Sports Writer
Game, set, match.
It was as simple as that for the 33rd-ranked Irish men's tennis team as they rolled over No. 18 Minnesota in their 2001 dual-match season opener last week.
The squad looks to win their next match on Sunday as they travel to Madison, Wisc. to take on the Badgers.
The Irish ended a two-match losing streak against Minnesota with a 7-0 drubbing of the Gophers, beating them for the first time since Jan. 17, 1998.
Notre Dame head coach Bob Bayliss knew his team was playing at a high level, but anticipated a much tougher battle.
"I didn't expect to win by that kind of score," Bayliss said. "Minnesota quite honestly really wasn't ready to play and wasn't in full strength. But our guys were sharp and we jumped on them early."
Irish junior Casey Smith, ranked No. 95 nationally, led the Irish attack at No. 1 singles against Minnesota, followed by No. 75 Javier Taborga, Luis Haddock Morales, Aaron Talarico, Brian Farrell and Matt Scott. Although the Irish singles was formidable, the same order may not be used for the match-up against the Badgers, Bayliss said.
"The top four [Smith, Taborga, Haddock-Morales, and Talarico] are almost equal," Bayliss noted. "I talked to the four of them and said we may just roll this thing around for awhile and see who looks good, and at the end of a dozen or 10 matches we'll really have a feel for who's playing well. I'm going to make it competitive in practice, and whoever is doing the best job for us in practice will get a little bump up maybe to reward him for that."
"Ultimately, it's how they do in matches that will determine how high they play," said Bayliss. "Of course, when everyone wins, it's difficult."
Fewer question marks exist in the doubles department for the Irish, where No. 38 Taborga and Talarico stand at No. 1, followed by the pairing of Smith and Haddock-Morales. The duo of James Malhame and Scott are vying with Andrew Laflin and Farrell for the third doubles position. Malhame and Scott registered a win against Minnesota in the season-opener, but the pairing is hampered by an injury to Malhame's elbow.
If the Irish put on the same game face as the one worn against Minnesota, victory is almost certain, but the team knows each match poses new challenges.
"I think we have a little edge down below [in the lineup] with them, but they are all good enough," Bayliss said. "They play good doubles. But if we play well, I think we are in good shape."
Wisconsin also includes No. 1 singles player Danny Westerman in its arsenal, who advanced to last weekend's quarterfinals of the Big Ten Singles Championship before being defeated. Westerman, who also had a strong showing in the fall Region IV Intercollegiate Tennis Association Singles Tournament by advancing to the quarterfinals, is sure to be a tough task for whoever Bayliss decided to play at the No. 1 slot.
If the team's clobbering of Minnesota is any indication of things to come, then the Irish can probably look forward to racking up a lot of W's.
"I think we really took care of business [against Minnesota] and were very well prepared," Bayliss said. "We were anxious and eager and played with some poise, and played real well. My expectations are always pretty high —the win doesn't raise them. It maybe raises the hopes that we might reach my expectations."
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 19, 2001
