March 7, 2004
LA JOLLA, Calif. – For the second consecutive match, the 46th-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team (9-5) won every contest in registering a 7-0 victory, this time over Saint Joseph’s (3-5) Sunday morning at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The Irish, playing without three starters, did not drop a set in winning the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Notre Dame continued its doubles resurgence, sweeping the doubles matches for the third consecutive match. Off the court first was the team of senior tri-captains Luis Haddock (Caguas, P.R./Notre Dame H.S.) and Matthew Scott (Oakton, Va./International School of Paris), who beat A.J. Garabedian and Jimmy Holland 8-4 at No. 2. Haddock and Scott have won five in a row and are 9-1 this season, including 6-1 in dual matches at No. 2. In their careers, they hold a 14-3 mark as a team.
Junior tri-captain Brent D’Amico (Castle Rock, Colo./St. Stephen’s Episcopal School [TX]) and freshman Ryan Keckley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s H.S.) clinched the doubles point by beating Van Homer Pangilinan and Francisco Velazquez 8-4 at No. 1. The Irish pair has won four straight, including three clinching wins in that span. They are 7-3 overall this season.
Senior Paul Hidaka (Tokyo, Japan/St. Mary’s International School) and sophomore Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, Calif./Servite H.S.), playing together for the first time in collegiate action, completed the sweep by topping Antonio Aniello and Chris Spencer 8-6 at No. 3.
The Irish have won the doubles point in four consecutive matches, compiling an 11-1 record in doubles in those contests. Prior to that, Notre Dame had won the doubles point just twice in nine tries this spring, going 8-19 in partnered play.
Freshman Barry King (Dublin, Ireland/Gonzaga College), playing No. 3 for the first time, was off the court first in singles with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Spencer. He missed Tuesday’s match against Michigan State with an injury, but snapped a three-match losing streak against Saint Joseph’s.
Keckley played No. 4 for the first time this season, putting the Irish within a point of victory by beating Garabedian 6-1, 6-1.
D’Amico clinched the win for the Irish with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Holland at No. 2. It was his second clinching triumph of the season.
After the outcome was determined, Haddock completed a 6-4, 6-4 win over Velazquez at No. 1. He won for the fourth time in five matches and improved to 14-9 this season.
Buchanan then beat Pangilinan 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 to move to 10-4 this season and 3-1 in dual matches.
In the final contest remaining, freshman Irackli Akhvlediani (Vienna, Austria/Vienna International School) provided a win in his dual-match debut, topping Aniello 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6.
Notre Dame was without three of its starters for the match. Scott, who normally plays No. 2, sat out with a sore shoulder and sophomore Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale H.S.) and freshman Stephen Bass (Bronxville, N.Y./Iona Preparatory School) were in action in the consolation bracket of the Pacific Coast Doubles Classic while the Irish-Saint Joseph’s dual match was played. The team usually plays No. 3 doubles together, while Bass is Notre Dame’s No. 4 singles player.
Langenkamp and Bass won in the consolation semifinals in the morning before falling in the backdraw championship to Stanford’s No. 1 team, KC Corkery and Sam Warburg, who both carry national singles rankings and are undefeated since pairing up in doubles earlier this spring.
The Irish will continue their spring break trip by staying in La Jolla until Tuesday, when they will travel to Montgomery, Ala. for the Blue/Gray National Tennis Classic, an elite 16-team dual-match tournament to begin Thursday. Notre Dame will be taking part in the Blue/Gray Classic for the 14th consecutive year, having compiled an 18-10 record, including titles in 1993 and 2001 and three runner-up finishes. The Blue/Gray draw will be completed early this week and will be reported on und.com. Other teams participating in the tournament are #11 VCU, #16 Harvard, #24 Alabama, #30 Fresno State, #33 Boise State, #36 North Carolina, #40 Tulane, #43 Mississippi State, #47 William & Mary, #52 Brown, #57 Louisville, #60 Middle Tennessee State, Colorado, North Carolina State, and one team to be announced.
#46 Notre Dame 7, Saint Joseph’s 0
Singles
No. 1: Luis Haddock (ND) d. Francisco Velazquez (SJU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 2: *Brent D’Amico (ND) d. Jimmy Holland (SJU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3: Barry King (ND) d. Chris Spencer (SJU) 6-0, 6-1
No. 4: Ryan Keckley (ND) d. A.J. Garabedian (SJU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 5: Patrick Buchanan (ND) d. Van Homer Pangilinan (SJU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6: Irackli Akhvlediani (ND) d. Antonio Aniello (SJU) 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2*, 1, 5, 6
Doubles
No. 1: *D’Amico/Keckley (ND) d. Pangilinan/Velazquez (SJU) 8-4
No. 2: Haddock/Scott (ND) d. Garabedian/Holland (SJU) 8-4
No. 3: Buchanan/Hidaka (ND) d. Aniello/Spencer (SJU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3
* denotes clinching match