May 14, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 30th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision to fourth-ranked Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio to conclude the 2010-11 campaign. Due to weather, the Irish began play outdoors and completed the doubles portion at the Stickney Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio, before finishing the match indoors at the Ohio State Varsity Tennis Center.
“Ohio State was awfully good today,” said head coach Bobby Bayliss. “They are clearly one of the top two or three teams in the country and they have a legitimate shot to win the NCAAs. In spite of that, I thought we played well in some situations. I thought Stephen Havens deserved special credit as he was in a position to win his match against a very good player. We came up short and Ohio State played the big points well. I wish them luck in the rest of the tournament.”
At second doubles the tandem of junior Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and senior Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) were defeated by 81st-ranked Chase Buchanan and Shuhei Uzawa in an 8-2 decision. Senior Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) and freshman Greg Andrews (Richland, Mich./Gull Lake) were defeated by Blaz Rola and Balazs Novak 8-2, which decided the doubles point in favor of the Buckeyes.
As the singles portion of the match continued indoors, sophomore Blas Moros (Boca Raton, Fla./Pine-Crest) fell to No. 111 Novak in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. At the top of the lineup, Watt was downed by fourth-ranked Rola in consecutive 6-2 sets. The match was clinched at fourth singles when Andrews was unable to defeat Matt Allare and fell 6-2, 6-3.
At second singles, Havens was in a position to win his match as he had won the first set 7-5. The match was at 1-1 in the second set against tenth-ranked Buchanan before the match was halted. At third singles, Stahl was defeated 6-3 in the first set by No. 107 Ille Van Engelen and the match was at 4-3 when it ended. Stahl concluded his senior season winning 11 of his last 13 matches.
Junior Samuel Keeton (Kansas City, Mo./Pembroke Hill) had dropped the first set to No. 65 Devin McCarthy and was trailing 2-3 when the match was concluded.
The Irish conclude the season with an 18-12 record. The NCAA Championship continues as the round-of-16 moves to Palo Alto, Calif., and Stanford serves as the host institution to the event.
#4 Ohio State 4, #30 Notre Dame 0
Singles competition
1. #4 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #63 Casey Watt (ND) 6-2, 6-2
2. #10 Chase Buchanan (OSU) vs. Stephen Havens (ND) 5-7, 1-1, unfinished
3. #107 Ille Van Engelen (OSU) vs. #95 Daniel Stahl (ND) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
4. #50 Matt Allare (OSU) def. Greg Andrews (ND) 6-2, 6-3
5. #65 Devin McCarthy (OSU) vs. Samuel Keeton (ND) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
6. #111 Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Blas Moros (ND) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #21 Matt Allare/Peter Kobelt (OSU) vs. #82 Niall Fitzgerald/Spencer Talmadge (ND) 5-3, unfinished
2. #81 Chase Buchanan/Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) def. Casey Watt/Stephen Havens (ND) 8-2
3. Blaz Rola/Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Greg Andrews/Daniel Stahl (ND) 8-2
Match Notes:
Notre Dame 18-12; National ranking #30
Ohio State 32-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,1,4)
Official: Vince Solomon T-259 A-3
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