sports

ND Track and Field: ND to compete in tournament

By The Observer · Wednesday, April 28, 2010

This weekend the Irish travel to Cincinnati to compete against a field of 15 in the Big East Conference championships. With a regular season full of an impressive number of top-five and even first-place finishes, each athlete is looking to emerge with good results.

Baseball: Ready for more

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Irish will once again look to their seniors to continue their season turnaround today against Toledo, hosting the Rockets after winning their second straight Big East series last weekend against Cincinnati. Cementing the series win over the Bearcats was senior David Mills, who has led Notre Dame both at the plate and from the mound this season. With the rainy rubber match Sunday tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Mills sliced a pitch from Cincinnati closer Andrew Burkett barely inside the leftfield foul pole to give the Irish a walk-off win. "He's had some clutch hits," Irish coach Dave Schrage said of Mills. "I don't think you can ask much more of a player. He's done a great job in relief, and now he just continues to get some big hits for us — just having a great season." The win gave Notre Dame the series win after winning the opener last Friday 5-2. Junior Brian Dupra allowed just two runs in 7 and 1/3 innings to give the Irish their fourth straight win. The Bearcats rebounded and held onto a 5-4 victory Saturday to even the series before Mills' heroics Sunday. After starting the year 2-7 in conference competition, Notre Dame has won five of their last six in the Big East to climb to seventh in the league standings. While the Irish are three games out of a tie for fourth, their recent success gives the team hope for the Big East tournament. Seniors, Mills, Ryan Connolly and Casey Martin have led the team's turnaround, with Mills' versatility standing out. In addition to tying for the team lead with 26 RBIs, Mills has not allowed an earned run in seven straight outings out of the bullpen, and he has not issued a walk against 63 consecutive hitters. Toledo will be a tough non-conference test for the Irish, with a 23-16 record on the season. The Rockets lineup is batting .324 this season and is averaging almost nine runs per game. But the Toledo staff has not provided the offense with the same support, with a staff ERA of 8.74. Notre Dame could be in for a high-scoring contest against the powerful lineup but weak pitching staff. First pitch against the Rockets from Frank Eck Stadium will be at 6:05 p.m. today.

ND Women's Tennis: Irish win conference title

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The No. 5 Irish dominated conference play this weekend, defeating West Virginia, Syracuse and DePaul by a combined score of 18-0 to win the Big East Championship trophy at Notre Dame's Courtney Tennis Center. The title was Notre Dame's third straight and 10th in 15 years. The Irish (22-3) easily defeated lower-ranked foes West Virginia and Syracuse on their way to the title match. The championship match marked the third time Notre Dame faced the Blue Demons this spring. The Irish won each of the previous meetings 6-1. In the title match, DePaul's doubles teams came out strong, playing solid tennis and pushing the top Irish duo of sophomore Kristy Frilling and senior Kali Krisik to a close 8-6 decision with Notre Dame ultimately securing the victory. The Irish clinched the doubles point when freshman Chrissie McGaffigan and junior Kristen Rafael scored a 6-2 win at third doubles. "Our third team won quickly which made things easier, and they've been playing well since we put them together," Irish coach Jay Louderback said. "But [Depaul's] doubles teams came out really strong, and they were much tougher than the last time we played them, especially their second team." Several strong singles performances paced the Irish against DePaul, who spent a good portion of the season in the Top 25. Senior Cosmina Ciobanu, whose strong play at fourth singles paced the Irish all season, finished her match against Sandra Zmak first, pulling off a 6-2, 6-1 victory, closely followed by 16th-ranked Frilling winning her match at first singles over 79th-ranked Anna Redesci by the score of 6-1, 6-2, to put the Irish within one point of the title. The clinching point came from senior Kali Krisik, whose 6-4 6-3 victory over Gia McKnight capped a tournament when she went a combined 6-0 in singles and doubles matches en route to winning the Big East Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and her seventh straight contest. "It was great because usually the top singles player wins the award, but it was nice for her to get it," Louderback said. "Most of all it was nice to get her back and playing at full health." The enormity of the feat and the fact that it took place at home made the victory extra special for the Irish squad. "Playing DePaul for the third time was really tough," Louderback said. "But our kids have been working on playing with poise and to win it at home was really nice." The tournament win clinched Notre Dame a place in the NCAA Tournament starting May 14. Louderback said he believes the endurance the girls showed in the Big East tilt, as well as the potential opportunity to host tournament games in South Bend, gives the Irish as good chance at advancing far into the tournament. "Playing three days in a row, which is something we'll have to do in the NCAA's, was something that will really help us prepare," Louderback said. Notre Dame is in the running to host the NCAA first and second rounds for the second straight year, but will not find out the early-round locations and pairings until early May.

Men's Tennis: Notre Dame loses Big East championship

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Irish fell 4-0 to No. 15 Louisville in a hard-fought Big East title match to end the tournament at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Notre Dame (15-12) missed the opportunity to play in the final round last season. The team now moves to 7-5 all-time in Big East title matches. "While we did not achieve the clear goal of winning the Big East, I was proud of the way we competed against South Florida in the semi-finals to reach the final against Louisville," Irish coach Bobby Bayliss said. The Irish defeated Georgetown 4-0 in the opening round Friday to advance to the semifinals by winning the doubles point and three singles matches without dropping a set. Saturday saw Notre Dame defeat South Florida 4-1 to avenge a loss earlier this season where the Bulls defeated the Irish 4-3. "Louisville was a different story," Bayliss said. "Despite the 4-0 score, I thought we were in position to win the unfinished matches and make things look more respectable, however, post-season play usually means stopping when the match is clinched, and I think that is appropriate." The Cardinals' depth and experience aided in their victory — their second Big East title. "They have had a terrific year, being ranked somewhere between 10 and 15 most of the season and it showed," Bayliss said. The Cardinals jumped to a 1-0 lead early in the match by winning the doubles point in two tightly contested matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. At No. 2, Notre Dame junior Tyler Davis and sophomore Niall Fitzgerald lost 8-5 to Austen Childs and Viktor Maksimcuk. Davis and Fitzgerald fell behind early, but tied the match at 4-4. Childs and Maksincuk took four of the next five games for the win to stop the Irish duo's comeback. Louisville grabbed the doubles point after the Irish No. 3 pair of juniors David Anderson and Daniel Stahl were defeated by Robert Hall and Chidi Gabriel 8-4. The Cardinals team started with a 4-3 lead that the Irish couldn't overcome. The No. 1 doubles match went unfinished after the doubles point had already been won by Louisville. Junior Stephen Havens and sophomore Casey Watt were tied 8-8 with Simon Childs and Alejandro Calligari to go into a tiebreaker. Havens and Watt had been leading 7-5 before Louisville struck back as the match was ended. "We competed hard in doubles and might have won at No. 1, but they were just a little bit too good," Bayliss said. Louisville's success carried into the singles competition, where Anderson first went down 6-3, 6-0 to Andrew Carter at No. 5 singles and Watt fell 6-0, 6-2 to A. Childs at the No. 1 spot. Notre Dame fought back in the others singles contests with sophomore Samuel Keeton, Havens, Stahl and freshman Blas Moros all extending their matches. Hall's 6-3, 6-3 defeat over Moros at No. 6 singles gave Louisville the crown. Hall went on to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer. With its No. 38 ranking, Notre Dame has a strong chance of playing in the NCAA Championships for the 19th time in the past 20 seasons with an at-large bid, and Bayliss said he is confident in his team's chances. "Now it is all about getting ready for the NCAAs and making whatever improvements we can to give us a chance to do some damage there," Bayliss said. "We find out where we will go next week. There are some areas in which we can gain some ground now that we are away from competition for awhile and this is the time to make those moves." The Irish will find out their fate at 5 p.m. on May 4 when the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships Selection Show takes place on ESPNEWS.

SMC Golf: Belles earn fifth NCAA appearance

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Saint Mary's used an all-around performance Friday at Blackthorn Golf Club and did just enough Saturday at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course to claim the top overall spot in the MIAA qualifying rounds, earning its fifth trip to the national championships. The Belles took third to Olivet and Hope this weekend with their score of 348, but a shot total of 992 in the three MIAA contests this spring gives them the bid over Olivet's total of 1,000. "Those two days couldn't have been any more diametrically opposed," Belles coach Mark Hamilton said. "It's always tough to back up one of your best rounds with another the next day." Junior Mary Kate Boyce led the Belles Friday, carding a 74 to set an MIAA course record and earn medalist honors in the process. Sophomore Natalie Matuszak finished second overall with a 76 and junior Rosie O'Connor rounded out the top three golfers with a 77. The 1-2-3 finish powered the Belles from a five-stroke deficit entering the day to a 28-stroke lead over second-place Olivet heading into the final round. With the Saturday total of 311, Saint Mary's set a new school and course record for the low score in an MIAA competition. "It was a great round," Hamilton said. "[Boyce] had it going. She had a great day." The final round of the MIAA qualifier Saturday tested the Belles. Olivet fired a low score of 328, while Saint Mary's limped to a 348, which was good enough to earn an overall eight-stroke victory. Matuszak again played well, turning in a round of 81 for the second-best score of the day. O'Connor came in second for Saint Mary's with an 85 to tie for ninth overall. "She had a really good round at Blackthorn, and kept it together on Saturday," Hamilton said. "Consistency-wise she did a great job. She kept us in the game on Saturday." Despite the Belles' struggles Saturday, Hamilton said he was happy with his team's ability to do what was necessary to pull out the victory. "We did what we had to do, and whether we win by one stroke or 30 strokes, we got it done," he said. Now that Saint Mary's has earned a berth in the NCAA championships, they turn their focus to the national competition just after finals. "It's tough to stay sharp with finals. I would really like to finish in the top four and bring hardware home," Hamilton said. "We'll have to play our best for four days and it's tough to do, but it's totally doable." Even though the team's season is not over, Hamilton said he already considers his team's spring campaign a positive one, especially considering the team's losses of Martyna Mierzwa and Emily Gore. "I'd say this year's definitely been a success," he said. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a team that could lose two top players and qualify for the national championship." With the NCAA championships looming, Hamilton and the Belles are optimistic about their chances. "This team is peaking at the right time," Hamilton said. "We're looking now for some hardware."

SMC Tennis: Belles close regular season with win

By The Observer · Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Belles picked up a strong victory in their final match Monday before the MIAA Championships with an 8-1 victory over Olivet at Michigan State University. Saint Mary's (11-8, 4-4 MIAA) has now won the last three conference matches of its regular season, with victories over Bethel and MIAA rival Adrian last week. "It's always good to end with a conference win, and we've won two in a row now," Belles coach Dale Campbell said. "We have some momentum leading up to the tournament, which is good." The No. 3 doubles duo of junior Jessica Kosinski and freshman Care Rectanus began the day with an 8-2 win over Jenna Baker and Leanne Scudder. Senior captain Camille Gebert and junior Franca Peluso extended the Belles lead with their 8-2 victory over Olivet's Celeste Gruber and Kelsey Singer. Saint Mary's suffered its first and only loss of the day when No. 1 doubles pair of Jillian Hurley and Mary Therese Lee were defeated by Giana Guerra and Caitlin LaValley 8-3. The Belles came back in the singles divisions, and let no one stand in their way as they won all six of the singles matches. At No. 1 singles, Hurley defeated LaValley in a 6-1, 6-2 victory while Lee picked up a 6-0, 6-3 win over Paige Sedgewick at the No. 5 position, with both players giving up only three games in each of their matches. Gebert won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles over Guerra in yet another victory for the team leader while Peluso defeated Gruber 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3. At fourth singles, Kosinski beat Singer in a three set match, 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7). Rounding out the singles was junior Monica Way, winning 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 against Baker. The Belles now turn their attention to the MIAA Championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Hope College in Holland, Mich. In preparation for the tournament, Campbell knows where his team needs to keep their focus. "We have two more practices," Campbell said. "We need to divide the attention between singles and doubles, work on a few strategic things, and play more aggressively." Saint Mary's enters the tournament ranked fifth behind Calvin, Hope, Kalamazoo and Albion. "We just need to believe in our shots and our ability to hit the shots we know we needs," Campbell said. "We need to make teams react to us in double as opposed to us reacting to them."