Men's Tennis Climbs to Tenth in the Nation
February 23, 2010 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 23, 2010
The University of Louisville men's tennis team moved up one spot to No. 10 in the Feb. 23 issue of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, reaching the highest ranking in program history.
"Our first ever top 10 ranking for our program is very nice," said U of L head coach Rex Ecarma. "Usually the top 16 teams in the country host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament like we did in 2006. We want to position ourselves to be a host because we want to play for a national championship. I feel the same way that I did yesterday when we were ranked #11. Our team has the same strengths and weaknesses that we had yesterday but I guess now we can tell recruits we have achieved the top 10 status which sounds good."
The Cards have compiled 10-2 overall record and have been ranked in the top 20 throughout all six ranking periods of the 2010 season. Louisville surpassed the previous mark for highest team ranking which was set on Feb. 18 at No. 11. Prior to that,
"We have a sign that I put up in our locker room that has "Regional Winner and Top 10" on it," said Ecarma. "Ken Lola, the men's soccer coach encouraged me to do that. Now we are not even halfway in our season and we have achieved that so I'd better put a new sign up. It's important for players to see our goal on a daily basis so they can feel it can become a reality. I am extremely proud of this team to win our first regional ever, win all these Big East awards, first ever National Team Indoor Championships, and now a top 10 ranking."
"But I am also proud of the players who laid the foundation for this program like the 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2006 teams that were all good as well. I would love to see this year's team play the 2006 team. I would pay full admission price for that. I also want U of L tennis alumni to be proud of the growth of the program. It already has affected the scheduling potential because several of the college tennis giants have contacted me about playing in the future."
U of L will face No. 38 Oklahoma State Saturday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
