Feb. 11, 2007
MADISON, Wisc. – The No. 9 Notre Dame men’s tennis team went on the road to face a much-improved Wisconsin squad and walked away with an impressive 5-2 victory at at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Irish improved to 6-1 with their sixth consecutive victory, while the Badgers drop to 4-1.
“I give a lot of credit to Wisconsin,” Bayliss said. “It’s hard to believe how improved they are from past years. We were extremely lucky to get out of here with a win.”
Wisconsin, fresh off its upset of No. 10 Miami last weekend, began the match on top.
Nolan Polley and Moritz Baumann beat the No. 11 dual of senior Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind.) and junior Sheeva Parbhu (Omaha, NE) at No. 1 doubles, 8-6. Keckley and Parbhu drop to 18-4 overall and 4-3 in dual action.
Jeremy Sonkin and Lachezar Kasarov clinched the doubles point for Wisconsin following their victory over senior Barry King (Dublin, Ireland) and sophomore Brett Helgeson (Overland Park, KS) at No. 2 doubles, 8-5. King and Helgeson dropped to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in dual action.
Practically every singles match was a toss up between the Badgers and Notre Dame, but the Irish were able to pull out five of the six contests.
Helgeson and King each picked up straight-set victories at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Helgeson knocked off Baumann, 6-4, 7-6 (3), for his sixth consecutive victory. He improved to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in dual action.
King held off Dierberger, 6-3, 7-5, team-high tying 16th singles victory. King (16-6) is now 5-2 in dual action.
Parbhu and Keckley each dropped the opening set in matches at No. 2 and No. 4, but each rallied for three-set wins. Parbhu improved to 15-8 overall and 5-2 in dual action with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Polley.
Keckley remained undefeated in dual action (6-0) with his 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Kasarov. Keckley is now 13-2 overall.
At No. 1, senior Stephen Bass (Bronxville, NY) cruised past Sonkin in the opening set, 6-1, and led 1-0 in the second when Sonkin was forced to retire due to a back injury.
Felipe Bellido notched the Badgers lone singles win, coming back from a first set loss to defeat junior Andrew Roth (Houston, TX), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Notre Dame returns to action next weekend at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago, Ill. The Irish, seeded eighth, open the tournament against ninth-seeded Pepperdine on Thursday at noon inside the Midtown Tennis Club.
#9 Notre Dame 5, Wisconsin 2
Singles
1. Stephen Bass (ND) def. Jeremy Sonkin (WIS); 6-1, 1-0, retired
2. Sheeva Parbhu (ND) def. Nolan Polley (WIS); 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
3. Brett Helgeson (ND) def. Moritz Baumann (WIS); 6-4, 7-6
4. Ryan Keckley (ND) def. Lachezar Kasarov (WIS); 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
5. Barry King (ND) def. Michael Dierberger (WIS); 6-3, 7-5
6. Felipe Bellido (WIS) def. Andrew Roth (ND); 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
1. Polley/Baumann (WIS) def. Keckley/Parbhu (ND); 8-6
2. Sonkin/Kasarov (WIS) def. King/Helgeson (ND); 8-5
3. Bass/Roth (ND) def. Dierberger/Michael Muskievicz (WIS); 8-3
— ND —