Men's Tennis Set for ACC Championship
April 22, 2015 | Men's Tennis
ACC Championship Information
Dates: April 23-26, 2015
Location: Cary, N.C.
Venue: Cary Tennis Park
Television: ESPN3 - semifinal and final
Announcers: Shawn Kenney (play-by-play); Brian Clark(analyst)
Live scoring
Championship Central page
The sixth-seeded University of Louisville men's tennis is set to face 11th-seeded Clemson in the first round of the 2015 ACC Championship Thursday at 9 a.m. at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. The winner of that match will move on to play third-seeded and 12th-ranked Wake Forest in the second round Friday at 9 a.m.
"This is the pinnacle in our sport in conference tournaments," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "There can be as many as nine NCAA bids from our conference. An ACC Tournament first round is as tough as an NCAA Tournament first round or even tougher. It displays so many nationally-ranked singles and doubles players, maybe the most of any conference in the country. The venue is nice with 30 courts and also hosts the women's championships. We plan to support Coach Mark Beckham and our women's team tomorrow. Nothing will get you ready for the NCAAs better than this tournament."
Louisville vs. Clemson (11-15, 2-10 ACC)
Series record: Louisville leads 4-2 advantage in the series against Clemson
Last meeting: The Cardinals defeated the Tigers 5-2 on March 29, 2015 at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center in Clemson, S.C.
About Louisville
The Cardinals completed the regular season with a 23-7 overall record and posted a 7-5 mark against league opponents in their inaugural ACC season.
• Louisville is led by senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer who is No. 6 in the ITA singles rankings and carries a 39-5 overall singles mark while going 19-2 in dual matches. He set a school record for wins in a season when he defeated Duke's 11th-ranked Nicolas Alvarez in the Cards' regular season finale on April 17.
Quick Hits:
• Competing in their first season in the ACC, Louisville earned the No. 6 seed and will face 11th-seeded Clemson in the first round of the 2015 ACC Championship Thursday at 9 a.m.
• Stiefelmeyer carries a 39-5 overall singles record and is 21-2 in dual matches as the Cards' top-seeded player. He set a school record for wins in a season when he defeated Duke's 11th-ranked Nicolas Alvarez in the Cards' regular season finale on April 17.
• Head coach Rex Ecarma is in his 25th season at UofL and recently recorded his 400th career victory on March 20 when the Cards upset No. 10 North Carolina at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
• Five players have recorded 20 or more singles wins on the season with Sebastian Stiefelmeyer and Albert Wagner reaching the 30-win mark.
• The Cardinals posted an 18-4 record at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in 2015.
Cards in the rankings
• Senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer is No. 6 in the most recent ITA singles rankings (March 26). On Jan. 3, he became the first player in program history to earn the nation's top ranking in singles and r eached No. 1 again on March 10. He has remained in the top eight throughout the 2015 season.
• Senior Albert Wagner stands at No. 95 in the ITA singles rankings. He enters the tournament with a 30-12 overall record and is 16-7 in dual matches playing mostly at No. 2. Wagner has been ranked in singles throughout the season reaching as high as No. 59 on Jan. 6.
• The doubles team of Gornet and fellow junior Jeffrey Brown is currently No. 82 in the national rankings with a 16-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in dual matches playing mostely at No. 1. The duo has been in the top 90 in the last four ranking periods and reached as high as No. 56 on April 7.
• Louisville stands at No. 32 in the overall team rankings, dropping two spots after a 5-2 loss against No. 8 Duke on April 17. The Cards reached their highest ranking of the season at No. 23 and spent two weeks (March 24 and March 31) at that spot.
Cardinals Climbing the Record Books
• Senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer carries a 39-5 overall singles record and is 21-2 in dual matches as the Cards' top-seeded player. He set a school record for wins in a season when he defeated Duke's 11th-ranked Nicolas Alvarez in the Cards' regular season finale on April 17.
• Junior Alex Gornet made his 2015 debut in the ITA singles rankings at No. 123. He carries a 29-12 overall record and an 14-5 mark in dual matches playing mostly at Nos. 2 and 3.
• Senior Michael Lippens is currently fourth in career singles wins with 107 while Chris Simich is tied for sixth with 100 and Albert Wagner is ninth with 99.
Cards against the ACC Championship field
Boston College
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: April 10, 2015 - No. 28 Louisville defeated BC 7-0 at Flynn Recreation Complex in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Clemson
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-2
Last Meeting: March 29, 2015 - No. 23 Louisville defeated No. 63 Clemson 5-2 at Hoke Sloan Tennis Center in Clemson, S.C.
Duke
Series Record: Duke leads 1-0
Last Meeting: April 17, 2015 - No. 38 Duke defeated No. 30 Louisville 5-2 at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Florida State
Series Record: FSU leads 2-0
Last Meeting: March 6, 2015 - No. 29 Florida State defeated No. 33 Louisville 4-3 at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Georgia Tech
Series Record: Louisville leads 2-1
Last Meeting: March 27, 2015 - No. 23 Louisville defeated No. 73 Georgia Tech 4-3 at Ken Byers Tennis Center in Atlanta.
Miami
Series Record: Tied at 1-1
Last Meeting: April 5, 2015- No. 23 Louisville defeated Miami 7-0 at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
North Carolina
Series Record: Tied at 2-2
Last Meeting: March 20, 2015 - No. 26 Louisville upset No. 10 North Carolina 5-2 at Buss-Rudd Tennis Center. The win was head coach Rex Ecarma's 400th career victory.
North Carolina State
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-2
Last Meeting: March 13, 2015 - No. 28 Louisville defeated No. 37 NC State 4-3 at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Notre Dame
Series Record: Louisville leads 9-8
Last Meeting: March 8, 2015 - No. 33 Louisville upset No. 23 Notre Dame 5-2 for Louisville's first ACC victory in program history at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Virginia
Series Record: Virginia leads 3-0
Last Meeting: April 12, 2015 - No. 4 Virginia defeated No. 28 Louisville 6-1 at Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia Tech
Series Record:
Virginia Tech leads 11-9
Last Meeting: April 12, 2015 - No. 13 Virginia Tech defeated No. 23 Louisville 5-2 at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Wake Forest
Series Record:
Wake Forest leads 9-2
Last Meeting: March 15, 2015 - No. 19 Wake Forest defeated No. 28 Louisville 7-0 at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Senior Salute
The senior class of 2015 is one of the most highly-decorated in the history of the University of Louisville men's tennis program. Their accomplishments include:
• Helping the Cardinals to 77 wins as a team
• Set school record for regular season wins (23 - 2015)
• Two NCAA outdoor regional appearances (2012 and 2014)
• One NCAA outdoor regional final (2012)
• BIG EAST Championship (2012)
• Ranked among 25 in national team rankings (2015)
For the latest information on Louisville men's tennis, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLMTennis or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gocardstennis.
Players Mentioned
