Tennis Set to Play No. 3 Georgia Tech

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After one of the best season-opening stretches in program history, the University of Louisville women's tennis team faces its toughest test of the year as it faces No. 3 Georgia Tech this weekend. The Cardinals (12-1, 2-0 ACC) will take on the Yellow Jackets (7-1, 1-0 ACC) on Sunday, March 4 at noon in Atlanta at the Ken Byars Tennis Complex.

Last Friday, Louisville completed its non-conference slate with a doubleheader sweep against Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay. In the opener, the Cards quickly put away the Colonels in a 7-0 victory, before topping the short-handed Governors, 6-1, in the afternoon.

The Cards have been powered this season by strong doubles play, winning the opening point in each of their 13 matches. The pair of Mariana Humberg and Abbie Pahz has amassed a 10-0 record in the regular season and is currently on a 15-match winning streak dating back to the fall. At second position, Raven Neely and Sena Suswam are also in the midst of a terrific run, winning six straight to post a 8-1 record in dual competition.

In singles, Pahz has led the team with an 11-2 mark, followed by Neely at 10-3. Seniors Humberg and Ariana Rodriguez have also been solid, carrying win streaks of four into Sunday's match. Freshman Maya Smith has rebounded from her lone loss against Notre Dame to turn in five consecutive straight-sets wins.

Georgia Tech leaped nine spots in this week's ITA Rankings following a pair of ranked wins last weekend. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets upset No.6 Georgia, 4-2, before downing No. 19 Florida State, 4-3, on Sunday. The defending ACC regular season champions have also earned victories over No. 24 Michigan and defending national champion Florida. They are one of three ACC teams currently holding the top three slots in the ITA Rankings, including No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke.

Coach Rodney Harmon's squad is led by senior Paige Hourigan, who is currently ranked 25^th individually by the ITA. Hourigan has lost her last two singles outings, but she has paired with sophomore Kenya Jones to form the No. 4 doubles pair in the nation. The duo is unbeaten against ranked pairs and has won three straight contests. Freshman Ida Jarlskog has also ascended to No. 83 in the ITA Rankings with a 5-1 record in dual play.

In last year's meeting, the Yellow Jackets topped the Cardinals, 7-0, in Atlanta. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series, 3-0, with all meetings coming as members of the ACC.

Live stats will be provided through Georgia Tech's website. A full recap of Sunday's match will be available on GoCards.com following the completion of play.

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Players Mentioned

Mariana Humberg

Raven Neely

Abbie Pahz

Ariana Rodriguez

Maya Smith

Sena Suswam

University of Louisville Athletics