Irish face No. 10 Longhorn squad in tough road trip
By RACHEL BIBER
Sports Writer
Things just aren't getting easier for the Irish.
The 30th-ranked Notre Dame men's tennis team hits the road again this weekend to travel to Austin, Texas, to take on the 10th-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Last weekend, the Irish dropped two road matches, to 28th-ranked North Carolina and fifth-ranked Duke, and fell to 9-7 on the season.
"This will be the seventh straight Top-25 team we've played," Irish head coach Bob Bayliss said. "So certainly this is a stretch of matches that has challenged us, and we've been pretty close to a breakthrough ... so I think we're due to win one of these, and maybe this will be the one."
The match-up with the Longhorns marks the third time in the last five contests that the Irish have faced a Top-10 team. Texas has beaten Notre Dame in their last seven meetings, but its margin of victory has been slim. The Longhorns have won each of the last four games 4-3.
"In the last four years we have played Texas, we have lost 4-3 matches that have usually come right down to the wire," Bayliss said. "I am sure this year's match will be competitive. We're certainly ready to play another good team."
Texas heads into the weekend's competition on a recent tear highlighted by an eight match-winning streak and a perfect record in conference play.
With its recent 6-1 win over Oklahoma State, Texas picked up their 26th-straight win over a conference opponent, and improved to 14-2 in dual-match play.
"We are playing real well right now and need to continue to stay focused down the home stretch of our season," Texas head coach Dave Snyder said. "[The Oklahoma State win] was a good win for us and I'm very proud of our guys."
The Longhorns feature a squad with of three of their players ranked in the Top 100 in the nation, producing a formidable singles lineup. Senior Michael Blue is ranked 25th, while senior Nick Crowell stands at 59th and sophomore Brandon Hawk is slated at 68th.
All-American and 13th-ranked Irish senior Ryan Sachire will continue his duties as usual at No. 1 singles against the Longhorns. Sachire leads the team in dual matches with an 11-4 record at No. 1 singles and has won 34 of his last 41 dual singles matches at the position.
Sachire improved to 24-9 on the year with his win at Duke, the only Irish victory of the contest. Along with amassing an impressive singles record, Sachire has demonstrated consistency in his,aggressive style of play by posting a 7-0 record in three-set matches this year.
Sophomores Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico continue their climb in the doubles rankings, rising to the No. 29 spot in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. The duo stands at 15-6 on the year, while seven of their victories have come at the expense of ranked opponents.
Taborga and Talarico will most likely have Blue and Crowell who team together to give the Longhorns the nation's second-ranked doubles team.
Taborga and Talarico have suffered defeat to only one ranked opponent in the 2000 season, but their matchup against the second-ranked tandem in the country will give them a battle.
The Irish doubles team of Sachire and Trent Miller have also demonstrated solid doubles play in their recent matches, winning their last four matches at No. 2 doubles to improve their record to 11-8 overall and 10-5 in dual matches. The pair has reeled off nine wins in their last 12 matches and hope to support the Irish lineup with the same winning ways against Texas on Saturday.
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 31, 2000
