Notre Dame wins Spring Fling berth
The Fighting Irish beat Friendship Christian 4-1 to end a long state-tournament drought.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
NOTRE DAME 4, FRIENDSHIP CHRISTIAN 1
Singles: Dillon Bane (FC) def. Chip Jabaley, 6-1, 6-2; John Dorris (ND) def. Hunter Harwell, 6-2, 6-2; Nick Wurm (ND) def. Jonathan Huddleston, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Charlie Ponitz (ND) def. Mark Sandoval, 6-2, 6-0; Tyler Ross (ND) def. Michael Smith, 6-1, 6-3.
Record: Notre Dame 12-0.
Nobody on the Notre Dame boys’ tennis team can even remember the last time they’ve been to the state tournament as a team, but they’re fully aware of the next one.
The Fighting Irish defeated Friendship Christian 4-1 in a Class A/AA sectional matchup Friday to earn a spot in next week’s Spring Fling. It will be Notre Dame’s first appearance in a state boys’ tennis tournament since 1964.
“We’re excited and we should be,” coach Anne Ricksecker said. “We deserve it. We’ve earned it. We played very steady and were on our game today. We had good points, had some good matches and played our game. I was getting so excited watching that I had to remember to breathe.
“All we can do now is look to Tuesday. The rest will take care of itself.”
The Irish will face Knoxville Catholic at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals of the state tournament in Murfreesboro. University School of Jackson and Franklin Road Academy play in the other semifinal. All Class A/AA matches will be held at Old Fort State Park.
John Dorris, Nick Wurm, Charlie Ponitz and Tyler Ross won in singles Friday for the Irish (12-0). Wurm’s victory was the clincher and was the longest-lasting match, as he defeated Jonathan Huddleston 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Ponitz and Chip Jabaley had already started their doubles match when Wurm finally finished off Huddleston.
“I was playing every point with him,” Ricksecker said of Wurm. “He was just steady. He lost his focus in the second set but was again steady in the third and won quite easily. At this point in the season, there’s really not much to say to them. All you can do is encourage them, calm them down, let them know they’re good and that they must believe in themselves.”
Even more impressive for the Irish is their youth. There are no seniors in their top five.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Ricksecker said. “These guys have worked hard and committed to play together and as a team. They support each other; everybody was cheering on Nick, even guys that didn’t play. They’re a special group. Basically, they exemplify Notre Dame, what we’re about and the spirit of playing together. They competed and had some good tennis today.”
