Jan. 25, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 49th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team (2-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) did not drop a set in shutting out St. John’s 6-0 Sunday morning in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish lost just 27 total games (4.5 per match) en route to winning their first of three tilts against BIG EAST foes this spring. Notre Dame will continue a busy Sunday with a contest against Illinois State at 2 p.m. (EST).
The Irish and Red Storm (0-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) played singles first and did not compete in doubles action in the first matchup between BIG EAST teams in men’s tennis in 2004.
First off the court for the Irish was freshman Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College), who beat Morgan Bauer 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 singles. Fellow rookie Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) followed him with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Nick Stocker of England at No. 4. Bass is 9-2 on the season, including three wins in as many matches this spring.
Junior tri-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School) put the Irish within a point of victory with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Louis Desmerteaux at No. 3. Senior tri-captain Luis Haddock (Caguas, P.R./Notre Dame H.S.) clinched the match with his first victory of the spring, a 6-3, 6-1 decision at No. 1 against David Nylen of Sweden, who transferred from South Alabama to St. John’s prior to this season.
After the outcome was determined, sophomore Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) improved to 12-2 on the season and 3-0 this spring with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Boris Chiporukha at No. 6. In the final remaining contest, senior tri-captain Matthew Scott (Oakton, Va./International School of Paris), ranked 68th nationally in singles, defeated another South Alabama transfer, Aurelio Di Zazzo, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2. Both players played their high school tennis in France, and Scott moved to 12-5 this season.
Notre Dame improved to 3-0 all-time against St. John’s. Sunday marked the first-ever regular-season matchup between the schools and the first trip by the Red Storm to Notre Dame. St. John’s became just the third BIG EAST team (also Miami and Virginia Tech) to play Notre Dame in the regular season since the Irish became a league member.
Notre Dame is 35-14 (.714) all-time against current BIG EAST members, including a 28-3 (.903) record vs. league teams other than Miami. Since joining the league, the Irish are 15-0 in BIG EAST matches against teams other than Hurricanes.
The Irish will not take on another BIG EAST Conference foe until a Feb. 29 at home against #35 Miami. That will be a rematch of last year’s BIG EAST title match. Notre Dame will be at #55 Virginia Tech on April 4 in its only other league contest of 2004.
The BIG EAST Conference does not require round robin play. Six of the nine schools that compete in men’s tennis (all but Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and West Virginia) will earn spots in the April 29-May 1 BIG EAST Championship in Coral Gables, Fla. Berths and seeding for the event are determined by national rankings and head-to-head results. In the eight years since the Irish joined the BIG EAST, Notre Dame and Miami have met in the conference final every time, with the Irish prevailing in 1996, ’99, and 2002 and last year’s match being abandonded in progress.
#49 Notre Dame 6, St. John’s 0
Singles
No. 1: *Luis Haddock (ND) d. David Nylen (SJU) 6-3, 6-1
No. 2: #68 Matthew Scott (ND) d. Aurelio Di Zazzo (SJU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 3: Brent D’Amico (ND) d. Louis Desmerteaux (SJU) 6-4, 6-1
No. 4: Stephen Bass (ND) d. Nick Stocker (SJU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 5: Barry King (ND) d. Morgan Bauer (SJU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6: Eric Langenkamp (ND) d. Boris Chiporukha (SJU) 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 1*, 6, 2
Doubles (Not played)
No. 1: #18 Haddock/Ryan Keckley vs. Desmerteaux/Di Zazzo
No. 2: D’Amico/Scott (ND) vs. Bauer/Nylen
No. 3: S. Bass/King (ND) vs. Chiporukha/Stocker
* denotes clinching match