Louisville Plays Host to No. 22 Miami, Duke and Illinois State this Weekend

Friday, March 29

LOUISVILLE, KY

1:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

MIAMI

Sergio Hernandez Ramirez during the Cardinals match with Northern Kentucky at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center on February 21.

Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics

Louisville Plays Host to No. 22 Miami, Duke and Illinois State this Weekend

March 28, 2019 | Men's Tennis

Cards face No. 22 Miami Friday, Duke and Illinois State Sunday at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center

By: Kylie Klotzbach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Looking to snap a three-match losing streak, the University of Louisville men's tennis team welcomes a trio of opponents to the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center this weekend. The Cardinals will play No. 22 Miami on Friday at 1:30 p.m., followed by a Sunday doubleheader against Duke at 1:30 p.m. and Illinois State at 7 p.m.

"This is a really important weekend for us," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "We need wins to get in the ACC race. The players know it and we will give it our all in each of our three matches. Even though it is Spring Break for the city, we hope the fans will come out and support us."

About Louisville Men's Tennis
Last time out, The Cardinals (12-8, 1-5 ACC) dropped a tightly-contested 4-3 decision to then-No. 27 Florida State at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. Despite rallying to overcome a 3-0 deficit, Louisville was unable to secure the ACC victory.

Against the Seminoles, the Cardinals dropped the doubles point and their first two singles matches, but fought back with three straight singles victories to even the score at 3-3. Sergio Hernandez, Fabien Salle and Federico Gomez all picked up singles wins for Louisville.

Hernandez holds the Cards' top dual match singles record at 13-2, playing primarily at No. 4 and No. 5, while Gomez and Salle have each registered 10 singles victories apiece.

In doubles, Salle and Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff boast Louisville's top record at 8-5, including seven wins at the one-spot. Seniors George Hedley and Brandon Lancaster have tallied five wins from courts one and two.

Miami
Series Record: Miami leads 3-2
Last Meeting: April 1, 2018 – Miami won 4-1 in Miami, Fla.
Scouting the Hurricanes: Miami (15-5, 6-1 ACC) was riding a seven-match win streak before falling to then-No. 11 North Carolina 4-1 in Chapel Hill, N.C. in their last outing. The seven-match winning streak was the Canes' longest since 2004. The Hurricanes were tabbed at No. 22 in the latest ITA national rankings and are led by No. 27 Adria Soriano Barrera. Bojan Jankulovski is also ranked in singles at No. 81.

Duke
Series Record: Duke leads 4-1
Last Meeting: April 8, 2018 – Louisville won 5-2 in Durham, N.C.
Scouting the Blue Devils: Duke (7-10, 1-5 ACC) most recently dropped back-to-back ACC matches to Georgia Tech and then-No. 23 Miami. Against the Hurricanes, the Blue Devils dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker despite holding a 3-0 lead during the match. No. 75 Nick Stachowiak holds Duke's top singles record at 8-5 in dual match action from the one-spot. In doubles, Jason Lapidus and Stachowiak are 6-3 at No. 1 with a 1-0 record over nationally ranked opponents. The Blue Devils will face Virginia prior to their match with the Cards.

Illinois State
Series Record: Louisville leads 5-1
Last Meeting: February 14, 2017 – Louisville won 7-0 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Scouting the Redbirds: Illinois State (11-6) has lost three straight matches to UNLV, UC Riverside and North Dakota. Prior to their three losses, the Redbirds had won six straight contests. They are led by Igor Kolaric, who has won eight singles matches from the one-spot. Aleksa Lazarevic has also been a solid competitor for the Redbirds with a 12-4 mark in dual match action from Nos. 3-5. Kolaric and Diego Le Gal Perez are Illinois State's top doubles pair with a dual match mark of 4-1. Prior to playing the Cardinals, the Redbirds will face Prairie State and Valparaiso.

Up Next
The Cardinals will head south for a pair of ACC matchups against Clemson on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by Georgia Tech on Sunday at noon.