Feb. 25, 2011
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 26th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team swept Penn State 4-0 to advance to the semifinal round of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala. Junior Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland/Blackrock College) and sophomore Spencer Talmadge (Hillsborough, Calif./Junipero Serra) clinched the doubles point for the Irish to make it the 11th time in 12 matches that Notre Dame has won the point.
The 28th-ranked duo of senior captain Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan) and senior Stephen Havens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) were defeated by Eddie Bouchier and Russell Bader in an 8-4 score at first doubles.
Junior Casey Watt (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and freshman Greg Andrews (Richland, Mich./Gull Lake) earned a win at third doubles. The duo downed Bryan Weinetz and Taylor Cohen in an 8-4 decision. Watt and Andrews haven’t lost a doubles match since January 23 when the pair faced Sanam Singh and Steven Eelkman Rooda of No. 1 Virginia and lost 8-6.
The 51st-ranked team of Fitzgerald and Talmadge handled Jason Lee and C.J. Griffin, 8-4 at second doubles to clinch the match and secure an early 1-0 lead. The duo have won the last five consecutive matches to make their overall season record 10-2.
Junior Sam Keeton (Kansas City, Mo./Pembroke Hill) returned to the Irish lineup to secure a win at the No. 5 position. Keeton took down Christopher Haysn in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
The 77th-ranked Watt handled Eddie Bourchier in a two-set match (6-2, 6-2) at No. 1 singles to move the score to 3-0 in Notre Dame’s favor.
Blas Moros (Boca Raton, Fla./Pine Crest) clinched the match for the Irish at No. 6. The sophomore defeated Chris Young in a 6-2, 6-2 decision. Moros returned to action after defeating North Carolina’s Kyle Baker, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.
After Notre Dame secured the win, the remaining matches were retired. At the time, Havens at No. 2 had dropped the first set (6-2) to Lee and was trailing 4-1 in the second set. Senior Daniel Stahl (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) won the first set at No. 3, 7-6 over Weinetz and was behind 1-2 in the second set. Andrews led 7-6 in the first set and was at 3-2 in the second set at No. 4 before the match was halted.
The Irish improve to an 8-4 record and are set to battle No. 21 Pepperdine in the semifinals Saturday at 3:00 (ET) at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala.
Check back to und.com for a complete recap of the semifinal action.
No. 26 Notre Dame (8-4) def. Penn State (6-4)
Doubles:
No. 1 Eddie Bouchier/Russell Bader (PSU) def. No. 28 Tyler Davis/Stephen Havens (ND), 8-4
No. 2 No. 51 Niall Fitzgerald/Spencer Talmadge (ND) def. Jason Lee/C.J. Griffin (PSU), 8-4
No. 3 Casey Watt/Greg Andrews (ND) def. Bryan Weinetz/Taylor Cohen (PSU), 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles:
No. 1 No. 77 Casey Watt (ND) def. Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Stephen Havens (ND) vs. Jason Lee (PSU), 2-6, 1-4 (unfinished)
No. 3 Daniel Stahl (ND) vs. Bryan Weinetz (PSU) 7-6, 1-2 (unfinished)
No. 4 Greg Andrews (ND) vs. Russell Bader (PSU) 7-6, 3-2 (unfinished)
No. 5 Sam Keeton (ND) def. Christopher Haysn (PSU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 Blas Moros (ND) def. Chris Young (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 6
–ND-