By Catherine Laroche

Women headed to Tampa to face Irish, Bulls of South Florida

Just like every team ending the regular season, the University of Louisville women’s tennis squad is looking to finish on a strong note in the Big East championship in Tampa, Fla.

“We’re getting better as the season goes on,” women’s tennis CCoach Greg Davis said. “It was tough with the injuries at the beginning of the season, but we’ve had some really good wins. I’m really proud of the team for staying with it and still accomplishing a great deal so far this season.”

Despite the injuries at the beginning of the season, the Cardinals still had some big victories against teams like University of Missouri, University of Iowa and Marshall University.

“I think we’ve done very well considering all the obstacles we’ve encountered,” senior Natalie Laszkowski said. “We had a lot of ups and downs, but everybody’s staying strong mentally and continuing to put their best efforts forward.”

Team chemistry has played a big part in the Cards’ regular season.

“The team chemistry is very good,” Laszkowski said. “It’s probably one of the best environments we’ve had. Everyone’s getting closer and gets along well on and off the court. It’s a very good atmosphere.”

The Cards aren’t putting themselves in the finals just yet. Instead, they are taking it match by match.

“We want to go there and win our first match,” Davis said. “I really don’t like looking past that first match, because teams that do that usually end up losing in the first round.”

The Big East championship is April 19-22 and is looking to be a tough. The University of Notre Dame has a top-three ranking and the University of South Florida is also ranked. Syracuse University, Marquette University, University of Cincinnati and West Virginia University also look to be challengers vying for the Big East crown.

“The Big East gets better each year,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of depth in the Big East right now. It’s really tough if you’re not ready to go, then you could be out in the first round.”

U of L is heading down early like other teams to adjust.

“I want to try to get down to Florida a little earlier than most teams, because most northern teams going down to Florida have to adjust to the heat and humidity,” Davis said.

The Cardinals are looking forward to winning, and they are hoping that the heat and humidity don’t get in the way of their dreams of an NCAA bid.

“We are aiming big,” Laszkowski said. “We want to win, so that we can get into the NCAA tournament.”

Radman, Johnson duo look to defend title aganist Notre Dame, DePaul

With the season coming to an end, the University of Louisville men’s tennis team is looking to defend its title at the Big East championship.

“I’m happy with some individuals,” men’s tennis Coach Rex Ecarma said, “but obviously, I’m not happy with the results. We’re playing a top 10 type of schedule with basically 10 inexperienced players and two experienced players. So, it makes sense on paper why we haven’t been winning like normal.”

Ecarma and his team know that it’s not going to be easy defending their Big East title in Tampa, Fla., April 19-21.

The University of Notre Dame is the favorite to take the title. After Louisville ended the Fighting Irish’s season in 2005 at the NCAA tournament and defeated them in the conference finals 4-1, Notre Dame is looking for revenge.

“Notre Dame is going to be a huge obstacle,” Ecarma said. “They’re sixth-ranked in the country and they’re also a team that is hungry to beat us.”

Notre Dame isn’t the only team that the Cards are eyeing. Nationally-ranked DePaul University and the University of South Florida are also dangerous opponents in the Big East championship.

“South Florida gave us a good match,” senior Slavko Radman said. ” There’s a couple of other good teams, but right now, we think we are better than they are and we are looking forward to playing Notre Dame in the finals.”

Louisville may not be nationally ranked, but they are making improvements and focusing on their individual games to prepare for the Big East championship.

“I’m trying to get everyone a level better,” Ecarma said. “In tennis, you only need four individual points, so I’m pushing them very hard like it’s the beginning of the season. I really feel that we can still get a level better.”

The team leaves Louisville on Thurs. this week.