Injured Irish test skills against No. 26 Huskies
By MOLLY MCVOY
Assistant Sports Editor
This weekend will be a test of what Notre Dame's men's tennis team is made
of.
They open the season against the 26th ranked Washington Huskies in the Ice
Volleys in Minneapolis. They may go without as many as three of their top
players due to injuries.
"It will be tough in the beginning of the season," senior Ryan Sachire
said. "But, hopefully, some of the younger guys will be able to contribute
and get some experience."
Junior Mark Overdevest will not make the trip with possible torn
cartilage in his shoulder. Coach Bobby Bayliss says that he will be
missed, but they can compensate.
"[Losing Overdevest] is a big loss," Bayliss said. "In addition to being a
good player he was one of our hardest workers. However, I feel we have
more depth than in year's past and can fill in the gaps."
Junior Matt Daly and sophomore Javier Taborga are also questionable
according to Bayliss. If either one of them is unable to play, a number of
very capable freshman can step up and play, Bayliss explained.
"Each [of the freshman] has demonstrated the ability to get the job done,"
he said.
Because of the injuries, the double's pairing was still up in the air as
of Thursday afternoon.
The Irish enter this season ranked 22nd of 75 teams by the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association. They hope to defend that ranking or improve by
defeating the Huskies on Friday. Washington will surely test Notre Dame.
They nearly won the NCAA Championships last season and are 2-0 in their
young season.
"Washington is a tough first round opponent," Bayliss explained. "We'll
take the matches one at a time."
Sachire agrees it will be tough, but believes the team is ready.
"We're looking forward to this weekend," he said. "We've been back playing
each other but we're all itching to face someone else. I think all the
teams are comparable. It should be a good weekend."
Sachire will udoubtedly be a leader again on the Irish team, boasting a
14th ranking in singles and two-time All-American status. Senior Trent
Miller will return as Sachire's double's partner in some part of this
season. The pair went 14-6 at No.2 doubles in their freshman season.
This season will be tough for the Irish, with or without injuries. They
are scheduled to face at least 12 ranked opponents including No.4 Duke,
No.11 Illinois and No.17 Texas. Bayliss looks forward to this challenge
and has faith his team can handle it.
"One great thing about coaching and playing sports is learning how to
overcome adversity," he said.
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 21, 2000
