Jan. 18, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 12 Notre Dame men’s tennis team opens up its dual-match schedule on Sunday when the Irish play host to both Penn State and Toledo at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. First serve is set at noon against Penn State with the Toledo match set to begin at 6 p.m.
This will be the second time in Notre Dame sport history that the Irish meet up with Penn State. The men are 0-1-1 against the Nittany Lions with the one loss coming under head coach Bobby Bayliss in 1988 (4-5). Overall, Bayliss has a record of 9-9 against Penn State.
It will be the 24th time Notre Dame matches up against Toledo. The Irish hold a dominating record of 22-2 over the Rockets. Bayliss’ record remains perfect against Toledo, 4-0, earning his last victory last season, 7-0, on Feb. 4, 2007.
Entering into the spring season, Notre Dame returns five Monogram winners, losing three to graduation. After going 26-4 during the 2006-07 season, the Irish finished ranked 6th and took the BIG EAST Championship. Of that team, three starters return including junior Brett Helgeson who is currently ranked 11th in the nation in singles action.
Sunday’s match will open up Penn State’s dual-match season as well, while Toledo competes on Saturday to open up their spring competition. The Rockets will match up with Xavier and Wright State before traveling to Notre Dame on Sunday.
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