Men's Tennis Set to face Memphis in ITA Kick-Off Weekend

LOUISVIILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's tennis team UofL (3-1) will travel to Athens, Ga., to face Memphis in the first round the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility. Host Georgia and UC Santa Barbara will meet in the other first-round match.

The winners will meet Sunday at 5 p.m. for an automatic berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The consolation match will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday.

This marks Louisville's eighth-straight appearance in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend which features 60 teams competing across the country for the right to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor. The 2016 Men's ITA National Team Indoor Championship will take place Feb. 12-15 in Charlottesville, Va., with the University of Virginia serving as the host school.

"This tournament overall is tougher than the NCAA tournament because it is only at-large bids," said UofL men's tennis coach Rex Ecarma. "Almost all of the top 60 teams are playing and every first round is tough. We are playing at college tennis' most historic site - Athens, Georgia. Four of my players are from the Southern Region in juniors and this is especially meaningful to them, but we are all excited and motivated."

ITA Kick-Off Weekend - Athens Georgia
Saturday, Jan. 23
9 a.m. ET – #44 Memphis vs. #T37 Louisville
1 p.m. ET – #6 Georgia vs. #48 UC Santa Barbara

Sunday, Jan. 24
9 a.m. ET – Consolation match
5 p.m. ET – Championship match

About Louisville: The Cardinals (3-1) are tied for 37^th in the ITA national team rankings released on Jan. 19. UofL opened the 2016 dual match season with wins over Troy and Dayton last Friday at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. Opening weekend action continued on Sunday when Louisville fell 4-0 to then-No. 26 Northwestern, but rebounded with a 4-0 win over Morehead State.
• Senior Alex Gornet stands at No. 108 in the ITA national singles rankings and carries a 14-6 overall record with a 2-0 mark as Louisville's No. 1 player.
• Gornet and fellow senior Jeffrey Brown are No. 57 in the national doubles rankings with a 7-7 overall record.
• Sophomore Courtney Lock earned Louisville's first ACC Men's Tennis Player of the Week honors on Jan. 19. He posted a 3-0 record in singles and went 3-1 in doubles in the Cards' opening weekend.

Up next: Following this weekend, the Cardinals return to action on February 3 when they travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee.

Louisville versus the field
Memphis
Series record: Memphis leads 8-7
Last meeting: April 4, 2014 – Memphis won 4-2 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center
Scouting the Tigers: No. 44 Memphis enters the weekend with an 0-1 record after falling to No. 28 Oklahoma State 4-0 in its season opener. Andrew Watson is ranked No. 87 in singles with a 10-4 overall record. Ryan Penniston carries a team-best 13-4 overall mark in singles. In doubles, Penniston teams with Felix Rauch for a 10-4 overall record.

Georgia
Series record: Georgia leads 5-0
Last meeting: March 23, 2011 – Georgia won 4-3 in Athens.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Sixth-ranked Georgia will open the dual match season Saturday against UC Santa Barbara. Last season Georgia reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA team championship and finished the year with a 24-5 overall record. The 2016 Bulldogs boast five nationally-ranked singles players. Wayne Montgomery leads the way at No. 20 while Austin Smith stands at No. 28. Paul Osterbaan (No. 40), Nick Wood (No. 88), Walker Duncan (No. 105) round out the players ranked in singles. In doubles Ben Wagland and Austin Smith stand at No. 10 in the nation while Wayne Montgomery and Emil Reinberg are No. 45.

UC Santa Barbara
Series record: First meeting
Scouting the Gauchos: No. 48 UC Santa Barbara brings a 1-2 record into in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Gauchos opened the 2016 season with a 4-3 over No. 63 Washington, but suffered losses to No. 12 Texas and No. 49 Oregon in their next two matches. Nicolas Moreno de Alboran stands at No. 81 in the ITA singles rankings.

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Men's Tennis Set to face Memphis in ITA Kick-Off Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Brown

Alex Gornet

Courtney Lock

University of Louisville Athletics