no. 29 hokies set to take on no. 50 louisville

Amber Williams

April 15, 2021

No. 29 Virginia Tech (10-7, 5-5 ACC) takes on No. 50 Louisville (9-9, 3-6 ACC) on April 16 for one of its last two remaining matches this season in Louisville, Ky.

The Hokies are looking to come out with a winning record in the ACC this season and this match could be their ticket. Coming off a win against No. 36 VCU on April 7, Tech will look to use the momentum gained in its last match to fly past the Cardinals who sit 10^th in the ACC standings. Meanwhile, Tech has a slight advantage on Louisville as its ranked sixth in the ACC.

Coming off a 5-2 loss against Georgia Tech, the Cardinals are facing the opposite narrative. Louisville snuck in as the last team ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings released on April 14.

Individually, the Cardinals boast two ranked singles players: No. 57 Fabien Salle and No. 71 Sergio Hernandez. In doubles they hold a pair of teams ranked as well. Fabien Salle and Matthew Fung are listed as the No. 63-ranked duo and Tin Chen and Sergio Hernandez Ramirez are ranked at No. 89.

For Tech, Alexander Riberio comes into Friday’s matchup at No. 51 and Matthis Ross slid into this week’s rankings at No. 78. The Hokies currently hold the high ground as a team and look to prove it in Kentucky on Friday.

The teams are even in all-time wins at 13 apiece. The Cardinals lost the last two meetings, most recently losing 4-2 in 2019.

Both teams are searching for a strong end to their seasons.