Stellar Start: Cardinals Triumph Over Xavier and Bellarmine in 2024 Season Opener

Louisville, KY – The University of Louisville men’s tennis team kicked off their season with an impressive doubleheader, defeating both Xavier and Bellarmine by scores of 6-1 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The Cardinals were led by sophomore standouts Will Mayew and Andre’ Steinbach, who both secured two singles victories. Additionally, four freshmen made their mark in their dual match debuts, helping Louisville start the season with a perfect 2-0 record.

Head coach Rodrigo da Silva expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “It’s great to start the season with two wins. I’m really proud of the guys and how they competed, especially the freshmen who were playing in their first matches today. Hopefully, we can build on today’s success and continue our momentum into the upcoming matches.”

Louisville began the day with a strong performance against Xavier. The Cardinals took the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. Senior Etienne Donnet and junior Natan Rodrigues defeated Ryan Cahill and Pascal Mosberger 6-2, while freshmen Piet Steveker and Miguel Aveñdano teamed up for a 6-3 victory against Charlie Temming and Alex Adamec.

In singles play, Louisville extended their lead as Kosuke Nakanishi secured his first collegiate singles point with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Totorica at No. 5. Mayew, ranked No. 56 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings, continued his impressive form with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Temming at the three-spot. Avendano also notched his first career singles point, defeating Christian Gonzalez 6-0, 6-3. Rodrigues dominated Cahill with a 6-1, 6-2 win at the No. 1 spot, while Steinbach followed suit with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Mosberger.

Xavier’s Marco Pennelli put up a fight against Louisville’s Enrique Pena on court four, winning the first set 7-5. However, Pena rallied back to take the second set 6-3. The match ultimately went to a third set tiebreaker, with Pennelli coming out on top with a score of 10-8.

In their second match of the day against Bellarmine, the Cardinals continued their dominant performance. Once again, they claimed the doubles point, this time with wins on courts two and three. Donnet and freshman Nakanishi cruised to a 6-2 victory over Kyle Tang and Vineet Ramesh, while Steinbach and Avendano secured the point with a win over Xavier Ecarma and Eli Wood.

In singles action, Steveker recorded his first collegiate dual match win with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory against Ecarma at the No. 3 spot. Mayew followed suit, defeating Matthew Nice 6-1, 6-3 at the two-spot. Pena clinched the match for Louisville with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Wood at No. 5.

Steinbach faced a tough challenge on court three, falling behind 5-2 in the second set. However, he battled back to a 7-5 win over Tang. Donnet, ranked No. 16, extended the Cardinals’ lead to 6-0 with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Jack Batchelor at the No. 1 spot. The final singles point of the match was contested on court four, where Ramesh took the first set 6-4. Nakanishi responded with a 6-2 win in the second set, but Ramesh prevailed in a close third set tiebreaker with a score of 13-11.

The Louisville men’s tennis team now looks ahead to their next challenge as they hit the road for four straight matches, starting with a showdown against Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois on Sunday. With a strong start to the season, the Cardinals hope to continue their winning ways and build on their early success.