Feb. 28, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In a match full of tie breakers and third sets, the Fighting Irish men’s tennis team claimed a dramatic 4-3 win over Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Notre Dame then followed up with a 6-1 win over Toledo in the nightcap of their Sunday doubleheader.
Junior Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) was the hero of Notre Dame’s come from behind win over 31st-ranked Wisconsin as he won a tough three-set match over 73rd-ranked Patrick Pohlmann 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 to clinch the win for Notre Dame. It was Stahl’s fifth singles win of the season.
With the wins, Notre Dame recorded a 3-0 mark for the weekend, having previously downed Michigan State 6-1 on Saturday, and improved their overall record to 6-5 on the year.
Wisconsin Recap
Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead by earning the doubles point. After coming from behind to tie their doubles match at 3-3, Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan) and Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland/Blackrock College) fell at the No. 2 position to Luke Rassow-Kantor and Marek Michalicka 8-4. Ricardo Martin and Michael Dierberger clinched the doubles point for the Badgers with a win at No. 3 doubles, downing David Anderson (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) and Spencer Talmadge (Hillsborough, Calif./Junipero Serra) 8-3. Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hill Christian School) and Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) came from behind to defeat Moritz Baumann and Patrick Pohlmann at No. 1 doubles 8-5. Havens and Watt had trailed 2-3 before earning their second win in as many days.
Wisconsin took a 2-0 lead when Rassow-Kantor defeated junior Matt Johnson (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) at No. 6 singles 6-3, 6-1.
But Anderson got the Irish on the board by defeating Martin 6-3, 6-2 at fourth singles. He was trailing 1-2 in the second set, but won the next five games to secure the win, improving to 12-1 last 15 dual season singles matches in the process.
Samuel Keeton (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke Hill School) then tied the match at 2-2 when he knocked off Chris Freeman at fifth singles 7-6 (10-8), 6-1.
Watt, who is ranked 28th, gave the Irish their first lead of the afternoon when he came from behind to defeat seventh-ranked Moritz Baumann 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. With the decisive third set tied at 4-4, Watt broke Baumann and then held serve for the win.
Just as Watt gave the Irish the lead, 123rd-ranked Havens forced a third set in his match at No. 2 singles while Stahl was forced to go a third set at No. 3 singles. In the third set, Havens lost 6-1 against 22nd-ranked Marek Michalicka, tying the overall match at 3-3. But then 101st-ranked Stahl earned the match-clinching victory over 73rd-ranked Pohlmann for the Irish.
Toledo recap
Notre Dame swept doubles play to take a 1-0 lead against the Rockets, though two of the three doubles matches were closely contested. Johnson and freshman Michael Moore (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) teamed up at No. 3 doubles to defeat Leonardo Henriques and Leo Sarria 8-3. Then, at No. 1 doubles, Fitzgerald and Davis held on for an 8-6 win over Nutthavit Likitkumchorn and Aleksandar Elezovic to clinch the doubles point for the Irish. At No. 2 doubles, Anderson and Talmadge came back from a 3-6 deficit to record a 9-7 win over Bryant Dudzik and Terence Weigan.
In singles action, the Irish continued to roll as freshman Blas Moros (Boca Raton, Fla./Pine Crest School) and Fitzgerald made quick work of their opposition. Moros, ranked 105th, defeated Henriques 6-0, 6-1 at sixth singles. At fourth singles, Fitzgerald raced past Dudzik in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.
Davis then clinched the win as he beat Gursher Harika at fifth singles 6-0, 6-2. Next, court one wrapped up with Watt earning his second singles win of the day, downing Toledo’s Likitkumchorn 6-2, 6-2.
Keeton won at third singles over Leo Sarria 6-4, 6-2 in his first career appearance at the No. 3 position for the Irish. With the win, he moved his singles record to 6-0 on the season. Anderson lined up at No. 2 singles for the first time in his career. After dropping the first set to Elezovic, Anderson rallied to take the second in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-3). In a tiebreaker third set, Elezovic came back from a 9-5 deficit to edge Anderson 12-10 earning Toledo its only point of the match.
The Irish have a quick turnaround as they travel to Champaign, Ill. To take on the 13th-ranked Illinois at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. Check back with UND.com for a complete recap of that match.
Notes
Notre Dame now leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 48-16, and the Irish have won 18 of the last 20 meetings between the two teams … Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Toledo 25-2, including a perfect 7-0 mark under Bayliss … Notre Dame has faced a ranked opponent in eight of its 11 matches (the Campbell/ITA rankings slot the top-75 teams) … Sam Keeton is 6-0 in 2010 dual season singles play … six of Notre Dame’s 11 matches have been decided by just one point … Notre Dame also improved to 5-1 on the season when claiming the doubles point.
Wisconsin vs. Notre DameFeb 28, 2010 at Notre Dame, Ind.#41 Notre Dame 4, #31 Wisconsin 3
Singles1. #28 Casey Watt (ND) def. #7 Moritz Baumann (WISC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-42. #22 Marek Michalicka (WISC) def. #123 Stephen Havens (ND) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-13. #101 Daniel Stahl (ND) def. #73 Patrick Pohlmann (WISC) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-44. David Anderson (ND) def. Martin, Ricardo (WISC) 6-3, 6-25. Samuel Keeton (ND) def. Chris Freeman (WISC) 7-6 (10-8), 6-16. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WISC) def. Matt Johnson (ND) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles1. Stephen Havens/Casey Watt (ND) def. Moritz Baumann/Patrick Pohlmann (WISC) 8-52. Marek Michalicka/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WISC) def. Tyler Davis/Niall Fitzgerald (ND) 8-43. Martin, Ricardo/Michael Dierberger (WISC) def. David Anderson/Spencer Talmadge (ND) 8-3
Match NotesWisconsin 7-4; National ranking #31Notre Dame 5-5; National ranking #41Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,4,5,1,2,3)
Toledo vs. Notre DameFeb 28, 2010 at Notre Dame, Ind.#41 Notre Dame 6, Toledo 1
Singles1. #28 Casey Watt (ND) def. N. Likitkumchorn (TOLEDO) 6-2, 6-22. Aleksandar Elezovic (TOLEDO) def. David Anderson (ND) 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (12-10)3. Samuel Keeton (ND) def. Leo Sarria (TOLEDO) 6-4, 6-24. Niall Fitzgerald (ND) def. Bryant Dudzik (TOLEDO) 6-1, 6-05. Tyler Davis (ND) def. Gursher Harika (TOLEDO) 6-0, 6-26. #105 Blas Moros (ND) def. Leonardo Henriques (TOLEDO) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles1. Niall Fitzgerald/Tyler Davis (ND) def. N. Likitkumchorn/Aleksandar Elezovic (TOLEDO) 8-62. David Anderson/Spencer Talmadge (ND) def. Bryant Dudzik/Terence Weigan (TOLEDO) 9-73. Michael Moore/Matt Johnson (ND) def. Leonardo Henriques/Leo Sarria (TOLEDO) 8-3
Match NotesToledo 7-8Notre Dame 6-5; National ranking #41Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,4,5,1,3,2)
–ND–