Sept. 18, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame will hold its only home men’s tennis tournament of the fall season when it plays host to the 16th annual Tom Fallon Invitational, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish will welcome 10 other schools to this year’s event: Ball State, Brown, Harvard, Indiana State, Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, William & Mary and Wisconsin. Of the 11 schools which make up the this year’s Fallon Invitational field, seven were ranked in the top 50 in the nation at the end of last season, and eight went on to compete in the 2002 NCAA Championships, led by Notre Dame’s first trip to the round of 16 since 1994.
“This is a very strong group of teams we have coming in for this tournament,” 16th-year Irish head coach Bob Bayliss said. “We expect to face some tough competition, which we hope will prepare us for what lies ahead during the spring season.”
The Fallon Invitational is named in honor of former Notre Dame head coach Tom Fallon, who compiled a sparkling 511-200 (.719) record during his 31-year tenure from 1957-87. He also guided the Irish to a pair of undefeated seasons (1959 and 1966) and the 1959 national championship.
The teams at this year’s Fallon Invitational will compete head-to-head in singles and doubles action during the four-day event, although no official team scores will be kept. Notre Dame will open tournament play at 3:30 p.m. (EST) Thursday against William & Mary, a team the Irish faced last weekend at the Homewood Suites Fall Tribe Classic in Williamsburg, Va.
Complete results from the Fallon Invitational will be available daily on Notre Dame’s official athletics website (www.UND.com). In case of inclement weather, matches would be moved indoors to the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
— ND —