Head men's tennis coach Bill Richards could not be happier to still be at home. After winning three of the team's 13-straight road games, the team will play host to Louisville in its second-straight home game.
"It's good to still be at home," Richards said. "We've played a lot of good teams at a lot of different places. We just couldn't find a way to get four points and get the wins we needed."
Junior Chris Varga - who struggled early in the season with injuries - was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week last week following an undefeated singles campaign during Spring Break.
"Chris never goes too long without winning some matches," Richards said. "He had some injuries early that probably affected his playing level, but he's still been our most consistent player on the team. It's good to see him finally get the recognition."
Against Louisville, the Cardinals (5-11) face the No. 63 team in the nation, and Richards said the fate of the team relies heavily on the doubles play.
"We have to win the doubles point," Richards said. "If you don't, it's awfully hard to win those four singles and come back to win."
Nonetheless, the team's doubles play has been anything but consistent in the first half of the season, and Richards said he does not rest easy in knowing the team has to have that point.
"We've been so inconsistent this year in doubles. I don't know what to expect from game to game," Richards said. "But we're going to switch things up and change some of the team around. We just don't feel that we've had the productivity that we have wanted."
And while many coaches in other sports find "morale victories" even if the team loses, Richards said there is no win for the team except a victory.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Louisville and what they've done this year," Richards said. "But they're no Illinois (who has been ranked No. 1 in the nation this year) and we're not going to be satisfied with anything less than a win."
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