By P. K. Bartley

All year long, the University of Louisville men’s tennis team has been looking for the one signature win that would spur on the rest of its season. Time and again, the Cards came close against highly-ranked opponents, but they never could quite seem to get over the hump. Finally, the Cards hit their mark on Sunday by beating No. 30 Virginia Tech 6-1 at the Bass Rudd Center. The win could not have come at a better time. Not only was it the last regular season match for U of L, but the win should propel the Cards to new heights heading into the C-USA tournament, which they will host this weekend.

Up until Sunday, the season had been disappointing. The team’s record is 9-15, including Saturday’s match against Vanderbilt, in which the Cards lost 5-2.

The Cards’ record is the worst since the 1998-99 season, when they went 8-18. One reason for the rough season is the departure of two players who left early in the season. One of them left to go pro, the other to go play somewhere else. If that wasn’t difficult enough, the Cards also had to battle injuries. On top of that, U of L has also played one of the toughest schedules in the country, a slate that included such powerhouses as the University of Southern California and the University of Alabama. Both were ranked in the top 25 when the Cards played them.

Yet, despite their tough season, the Cards are optimistic about their chances in the Conference USA tournament.

“All season long we have been playing close with all the big teams,” said senior Alex Sivertsen. “It is just a question of the whole team coming together and us winning those close matches. All the guys know that we have a good chance of winning the whole thing.”

One reason the Cards are confident that they can win the tournament is the fact that it will be held at the Bass Rudd Tennis center on campus, a place the Cards are tough to beat. In fact, when U of L played USC here, the game came down to the last match to see who would win. The Trojans had to fight hard to win that match.

“We win about 95% of our matches here at home,” said junior Cody Conley, “and a lot of the teams in the tournament do not know that.”

Another reason the Cards are confident they can win the tournament is because of the tough schedule they played in the regular season. “The highest ranked team in our conference is 25. If we should beat number three (USC) here, then what is 25?” said head coach Rex Ecarma. “We have played three out of the top four teams in the country. There is nothing we are going to see in the tournament that we have not seen in the regular season as far as talent goes.”

The biggest problem the Cards have had this season is putting teams away when they have them down. For the Cards to do anything in this tournament, they must finish teams off, and the coach is quite aware of this.

“We have not shown the knock out punch or the killer instinct that we need,” said Ecarma. “We have not finished off points and matches like we should. Can we compete with people in the country? Yes. Can we beat people in the country? Yes. Can we put people away in the country? No. And that’s where we are as a team.”

If the Cards are going to win, they must have outstanding tournament performance from Conley. The junior from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, has stepped up to become the number one player on this team this year and the leader as well. “I have tried to become the leader of the team,” Conley explains. “I try to get the guys together before the matches. Someone has do to it, and I am just tying to be that person. The team has seemed to respond to me doing that.”

The Cards also have experience on their side. Four of the six starters were on the 2000 team that won the C-USA tournament. Those starters are seniors Brent McCombe and Sivertsen and juniors Paulo Carvalho and Cody Conley. Hopefully the four can have another great run through the Conference tournament. The Cards begin playing on Thursday at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center.

First round matches in the Conference USA tournament will be played at the Bass Rudd tennis Center, while the loser’s bracket will play at Seneca Park. Bracket information was unavailable at press time but check www.uoflsports.com for a complete schedule of play.