Second-seeded Irish prepare for Georgetown, Villanova
By RACHEL BIBER
Sports Writer
The hunt for the Big East championship is on, and the Irish are in the thick of the fight.
As the 29th-ranked Notre Dame men's tennis team travels to Coral Gables, Florida this weekend for the Big East Championships, they will look to defend their championship title and capture victory for the third time in five years.
The 10-9 Irish will be able to sit back and relax during the opening day of competition after getting a bye in the first round of play. They will then take on the winner of the match between eighth-seeded Villanova and ninth-seeded Georgetown on Friday.
After winning the tournament in 1996 and 1999 and finishing second to Miami in 1997 and 1998, the Irish will be making their fifth appearance in the competition. Seeded second out of the eleven teams in the conference field, Notre Dame stands behind top-seeded, 18th-ranked Miami, Florida, setting up the possibility of a rematch in the final of tournament play.
Miami defeated Notre Dame 5-2 when the two teams matched up earlier in the season, but the Irish know they are capable of successfully defending their championship title.
"We eked it out last time [over Miami in the final]," Irish head coach Bob Bayliss said. "They are a good team, and it is a pretty spirited rivalry."
In 1999, the top-seeded Irish breezed by Boston College and Rutgers in the first two rounds of the tournament to reach the championship match against Miami for the fourth straight time. The Irish posted a come-from-behind victory when Casey Smith and Javier Taborga each won 7-5 in the third set of his singles match to secure a 4-3 win.
The Irish have recorded impressive wins in the conference championship, and three current Irish players enter this weekend's competition after perfect performances in singles a year ago. In his third appearance in the Big East Championship, All-American and 10th-ranked Ryan Sachire did not surrender a match, capping a 4-2 singles record in his three years of play.
Smith tallied a 3-0 mark last year, while Taborga won both of his singles matches. However, the Irish will most likely be without the services of Taborga this weekend, because of lingering soreness in his wrist.
"[Taborga] is out indefinitely," Bayliss said. "It's possible he'll be back for the Big East, but probably won't. His wrist is sore, and they are taking a real cautious path with him, which is wise."
The Irish's Andrew Laflin lost his only singles match in last year's competition, while Aaron Talarico went 1-0 in doubles.
Senior Trent Miller, the only other current player besides Sachire to have competed in more than one Big East Championship, has a 2-1 record in doubles play.
In the absence of Taborga, who has paired with Talarico throughout the season to form the No. 1 Irish duo, Miller and Sachire will fill in at the top doubles spot. The pairing continues to play solid doubles, compiling a
12-3 record since an 8-2 win over Kentucky on February 8, and have gained victory over four ranked teams during their recent wins, proving their capability of filling in at No. 1 doubles.
Notre Dame will suit up on Friday to face its first opponent, and no matter the lineup composed by coach Bayliss, the Irish will look to keep a hold of the Big East title.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 20, 2000
