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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Men's Tennis: Bass ready for rematch

Notre Dame senior Stephen Bass triumphed over Duke's Peter Rodrigues only one short week ago. This week, Bass and Rodrigues meet again as Notre Dame and Duke face off at the Midland Invitational in Midland, Texas this weekend. The Irish senior, No. 21 nationally, defeated No. 44 Rodrigues 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on his way to securing a spot in the ITA All-American Championship Final. Bass moved into the consolation finals with a 6-0 victory over San Diego State's Christian Groh (No. 67) and ultimately fell to Wake Forest's Todd Paul (No. 14) 6-1, 6-2. The Midland tournament draws competitors from 15 schools, including the 2005 national champion UCLA, 2004 national champion Baylor, Pepperdine, Texas and Illinois. The Irish will face tough competition from these top teams including national No. 1 Benjamin Kohlloeffel of UCLA who won the NCAA men's single title last season. Illinois also poses a threat with its No. 1 ranked doubles team of Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe. The duo took the NCAA men's double championship last season and was the second team to do so for Illinois since 2003. Notre Dame has its share of ranked players as well as Bass is right behind No. 20 junior Sheeva Parbhu. Notre Dame also has strength in its doubles game - something Irish coach Bobby Bayliss has looked for - with Parbhu and Ryan Keckley at No. 36 and Bass and Brett Helgeson with a No. 46 ranking. The Irish will not only be led by Bayliss, but also by the youth and talent of assistant coach Ryan Sachire."[Sachire] has been a tremendous addition," Bayliss said. "His ability to influence our guys has been indispensable." The tournament begins today and continues Saturday and Sunday.