The Irish begin their jam-packed weekend today as they compete in the Tribe Invitational, hosted by William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Notre Dame will play three schools from the East Coast over the course of the weekend to finish off its fall season.

“We are going to be able to play against teams from Harvard, who was a top-25 team from last year, Old Dominion, who has a whole lot of international players, and William and Mary,” Irish coach Bobby Bayliss said.

The action kicks off this morning against Harvard when the top-six singles players from each team square off. The Irish doubles teams will then face two of the three schools on Friday afternoon, followed by the lower-tier singles matches against Harvard on Friday night.

Saturday and Sunday will follow a similar schedule, but Notre Dame will compete against William and Mary and Old Dominion. 

The weekend represents a chance to evaluate where the team stands, especially because the Irish will have all players available for the event, Bayliss said.

“I think it’s going to give us an opportunity to see where each of our guys is,” Bayliss said. “[Senior] Blas Moros had to miss the [Midwest Regional Championships] because of mononucleosis and he’s back in the saddle. It’s good to have him with us. [Junior] Matt Dooley is going with us and he missed both events due to injuries this fall, so this will be his first event. It’s going to be fun to see how everybody does.”

The opponents this weekend are not strangers to the Irish, as the team has faced off against William and Mary and Harvard in previous years. Additionally, the Irish will return to Williamsburg this spring to challenge the Tribe, while the team will also play Harvard in Norman, Okla., in January.

The Tribe Invitational this weekend marks the end of Notre Dame’s fall season that began in Dublin in August. The fall included four other events, highlighted by a dominating home performance in the Tom Fallon Invitational. After the completion of this weekend’s event, the Irish will take a two-month break from competition before the spring season begins.

The Tribe Invitational begins at 9 a.m. today when Notre Dame faces Harvard. The event will run through Sunday in Williamsburg, Va.

Contact Peter Steiner at [email protected]