Men's Tennis Plays Host to Indiana Sunday
April 16, 2011 | Men's Tennis
April 16, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky, - The No. 32 University of Louisville men's tennis team will match up against No. 23 Indiana University on Sunday April 17 at 2 p.m. at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center. The Cards are looking to extend their streak of 22 straight home victories, which dates back to April of 2009. Louisville is a perfect 9-0 at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center in 2011.
"Indiana Coach Randy Bloemendaal has his team on a major winning streak," said U of L head coach Rex Ecarma. "We know their team very well and they are all playing at the pinnacle of their game and having a great year. Indiana has moved ahead of us in the rankings and comes to the Bass-Rudd with a lot of momentum. We will do our utmost in defending our home courts and it should be an exciting match. We will have a free cookout so we hope to see plenty of cheering fans here."
Louisville holds a 7-7 all-time record against Indiana. Their last meeting was a 4-3 come-from-behind victory in Bloomington last April where the Cardinals got singles wins from Austen Childs, Simon Childs, Alejandro Calligari and Robert Hall to secure the victory.
The Cards (12-11) are led by senior Austen Childs, the two-time defending BIG EAST player of the year and national runner-up. Childs ranks at No. 14 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national poll and has compiled a 26-10 record on the year (17-5 in dual play). He also holds the school record for most doubles victories in a season with 98, while sitting at second all-time for most singles victories with 112.
Also ranked in the ITA poll for Louisville is senior Viktor Maksimcuk at No. 103. In doubles action, the Cardinals have two pairs in the national rankings. Austen Childs and Maksimcuk sit at No. 21 and the tandem of Maksimcuk and senior Simon Childs are ranked No. 56.
Indiana comes into this weekend's battle as winners of their last 11 matches with a 21-4 overall record. They are represented in the ITA rankings with one singles player and one doubles pairing. Sophomore Josh MacTaggart ranks at No. 114 in singles play while the duo of senior Santiago Gruter and junior Jeremy Langer come in at No. 62.
Following their match with the Hoosiers, the Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center for their regular season finale.
Players Mentioned
