WTEN Advances in ACC Tourney -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Down FSU to Face Cal

We haven't talked much about Louisville women's tennis this season, but they've quietly been having their best season in the ACC. The Cards went 5-1 in nonconference play before dropping their first three matches of ACC play. Louisville then won three straight matches, beating Xavier, UAB, and FSU for their first ACC win of the season. The Cards ultimately finished 13-9 with a 4-8 conference record, having swept Boston College 4-0 to end the regular season. Those four conference victories are their most in the league and resulted in a 12th place finish in conference. While that doesn't sound great, consider that Louisville is ranked 63rd overall. The team they beat in the first round of the ACC Tournament, 13-seed FSU, was ranked 57th in the country. 

Photo via GoCards

The Cards won yesterday's match 4-2, with the decisive point coming before the last singles match had ended. Louisville won the doubles point, led by an upset victory from Allie Gretkowski and Alice Otis in the 1-doubles spot against the #39 pair from FSU. Moving into singles play, Otis lost on Court 1 6-1, 6-3 before Louisville retook the lead at 2-1 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory from Elena Noguero on Court 3. Lika Persypkina picked up a 6-1, 6-3 victory as well to give the Cards a 3-1 advantage. Germany Davis fell 6-3, 6-3 to set the score at 3-2, but Elisabeth Iila sealed the deal with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory on Court 6. Gretkowski led 3-1 in the third set when their match was suspended. 

It was a big day for Noguero and Iila, as they both won their singles matches after also helping to clinch the doubles point for the Cards. The Cards will face a tough test in their second matchup in the ACC Tournament when they take on Cal this morning at 10 AM. Louisville didn't play Cal in the regular season, but the Bears are ranked 18th in the country. Cal went 12-7 overall with a 9-3 record in the ACC. The Cards may be playing with house money at this point. While a conference season under .500 doesn't seem like it should be considered a major success on its face, that doesn't take into account the challenge in the ACC. Like in many other "non-revenue" sports, the ACC is a powerhouse. Winning the most conference games since joining the league and picking up an upset win (even though it was over a lower seed) in the tournament is a reason to celebrate. Anything from here on would be toppings on a sundae. 

Best of luck to the Cards moving forward. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case