Smith only Irish singles player remaining after Taborga, Talarico eliminated
RACHEL BIBER
Sports Writer
As the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships get underway this week at Stone Mountain, Ga., the Irish hope to recover from a lackluster premiere.
Seniors Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico were both defeated in the qualifying rounds of the singles portion of the tournament earlier this week, while 38th-ranked Casey Smith makes his debut in the main singles portion of the draw today.
Smith was one of 48 players receiving automatic entry into the main singles draw in the hardcourt event, which showcases the top players in NCAA Division I tennis.
"We are also anxious to follow Casey's progress in the singles competition to see how he stacks up against some of the best players in the nation," head coach Bob Bayliss said.
While both Taborga and Talarico have been knocked out of the event in singles, Smith will look to provide a bright spot for the Notre Dame squad.
"I'm disappointed in the fact that [Taborga and Talarico] didn't do better," Irish head coach Bob Bayliss said. "I think each of them is capable of better results than happened. Hopefully [Smith] will salvage some pride for us over the weekend."
The Irish success at the championships last year makes the unfolding e
vents even more difficult to swallow. In 2000, Taborga not only won a pair of qualifying matches to gain entry into the main draw, but he also advanced to the third round by knocking off third-ranked K.J. Hippensteel of Stanford.
Even though Taborga and Talarico both held leads over their opponents, each lost the momentum and was eventually defeated. Taborga, ranked 76th in the nation in singles, was up 5-2, and two service breaks in the first set against Duke's Mike Yani, before Yani came screaming back to hand Taborga the loss, 7-6, 6-4.
Talarico also held a 5-2 first set lead before stumbling to David Wright of Georgia Tech, 7-5, 6-0.
There is no lack of concern over the early losses from the Notre Dame coaching staff, as Bayliss feels the urgent need for someone to step up and take the team to the next level.
"Both of them [Taborga and Talarico] were up in their matches and allowed the leads to slip away. You'd think that would be something you'd more likely see from a younger player," Bayliss said. "As far as our team is concerned, clearly the top part of our lineup has been our weakness, so we need to take some steps to sure those positions up."
Despite the slow start for the Irish in singles, the doubles pairing of Taborga and Smith advanced to the 32-team doubles main draw after breezing through two qualifying rounds. Smith and Taborga, ranked 34th nationally, defeated UNC-Greensboro's Tony Mule and Marcio Torres 8-6 on Tuesday before knocking of Marcus Berntson and Mark Roberts of Bosie State by the score of 8-3 on Wednesday.
"Since this is such a new doubles team, it is exciting to see them move along like this at one of the premier tournaments in the country," Bayliss said. "We are looking forward to seeing what they can do together in the main draw, as well as throughout the season."
Taborga and Talarico, who have not teamed up since they were freshmen in 1998, improve to 5-1 with the two wins. They continue play today in the main draw of the event.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, October 11, 2001
