Cardinals Set to Open ACC Play

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Louisville women's tennis team opens Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend with a pair of home matches against Syracuse and Boston College. First serve against the Orange is scheduled for Friday at 12 p.m., followed by Sunday's 11 a.m. match with the Eagles.

Friday's dual match will mark a week-to-date since the Cardinals have been in action. Louisville's latest matchup was canceled following positive tests and subsequent contract tracing within the UT Martin program.

Louisville (3-2) is coming off a hard-fought match against No.15 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The Cardinals, who have taken the doubles point in every match this season, secured the early advantage when Raven Neely and Tatiana Simova won their court 6-4. Vanderbilt responded on court three to even the score at one, but Louisville clinched the doubles point for the fifth time this season when Rhea Verma and Andrea DiPalma outlasted the Commodores' top line of Anna Ross and Holly Staff 7-5.

The lone singles point came from DiPalma, who defeated her opponent in the No.2 spot. While in contention for the match win when two singles courts went down to the final set, Vanderbilt ultimately took five of the six singles courts to secure the 5-2 win.

Syracuse is entering into Friday with momentum from back-to-back wins against Boston College and Army after opening the 2021 campaign with a pair of losses at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The top doubles line of Viktoriya Kanapatskaya and Natalie Novotna are 2-2 on the year, winning the latest two matchups 6-4. Syracuse swept Army last time out, marking their first sweep since the opening event of the 2018-19 spring season.

Boston College is scheduled to battle Notre Dame on Feb.19 before traveling to Louisville. The Eagles are currently 1-1 on the season. Natasha Irani and Laura Lopez pace all Eagles with a 2-0 singles record to open the spring schedule.

Due to social distancing requirements within our COVID protocol, no outside spectators will be allowed within the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

Following this weekend's matches, the Cardinals will be on the road from a four-game stretch, starting with a matchup against top-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Feb. 26.

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Players Mentioned

Raven Neely

Tatiana Simova

Rhea Verma

University of Louisville Athletics