Notes / Live Scoring
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last weekend, the men's tennis team lost its first matches of the season at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Athens, Georgia, but expects to earn a win against Louisville Friday (6 p.m.)
The Boilermakers started out the season 3-0 and remained competitive against both the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs and the unranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The team's match against Alabama was tied at three all - the Boilermakers dropped the doubles point, but roared back in singles - with Athell Bennett remaining on court five.
The freshman dropped the first set, but earned back the second for Purdue; he continued to tightly battle Ortiz, positioning the match at five all in the third. Bennett was then broke, and Ortiz was able to hold serve, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
While head coach Pawel Gajdzik was disappointed with the result, he was impressed by his squad's fight and competitiveness.
"We could have beat both those teams," Gajdzik said. "We have the talent and had a few points gone our way, we could be looking at a 5-0 start."
"Overall though, going down [to Athens] was a great experience for the team, and I was really impressed with how some of the guys competed. Stephan won his first two collegiate singles matches, and he's only been with us for two weeks. Athell held his own against Alabama, and that type of pressure will help to mature his play. I'm feeling confident going into our match against Louisville."
This is the Boilermaker's first time facing the Cardinals in almost two decades. The schools' last meeting was on March 10, 2000 in West Lafayette, Indiana, where Purdue won 4-3. Purdue also leads the all-time series record 6-1, dating back to March 11, 1978 - the team's sole loss.
After Friday's match, the men's tennis team will make the three-hour drive home and prepare for a tripleheader Sunday against Drake and Indiana Tech twice. All three matches will be available on live stream.