Men's Tennis Postseason Guide (PDF)

Game #31: No. 42 Cornell vs. No. 24 Louisville
Date/Time: Friday, May 13 at Noon
Stadium: Boone Varsity Tennis Complex
Location: Lexington, Kentucky
Live Stats: www.UKathletics.com
Live Video: None
2011 Records: Cornell (26-4, 7-0 Ivy); Louisville (17-11)
Series Record: First Meeting

THE MATCHUP – The No. 42 Cornell men's tennis team will make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament when it takes on Louisville at Kentucky's Boone Varsity Tennis Complex on Friday, May 13 at noon. The No. 24 Cardinals enter the postseason as the Big East tournament champions with a record of 17-11 overall. Live stats will be available through UKathletics.com.

THE SERIES VS. LOUISVILLE – Friday's match will be the first meeting between Cornell and the Cardinals in the history of the men's tennis programs.

THAT'S A FIRST – The Big Red posted the first undefeated Ivy League season in program history, won its first Ivy League championship and earned its first team trip to the NCAA tournament. The league title is the first for the Cornell dating back to its EITA days, as the Big Red won three straight crowns from 1947 to 1949.

20 WNS – Cornell posted a school record with 26 wins this season, smashing the mark of 18, which was set in 1953 and tied just a year ago.

GOING STREAKING – The Big Red has two separate 10-match win streaks in a season for the first time in school history. The Big Red has won 20 of its last 21 matches heading into the NCAA tournament with eight 7-0 sweeps and seven matches decided by a 4-3 margin.

CORNELL'S CLIMB – The Big Red has been on a steady climb over the past four seasons, thanks in large part to the current senior class, which plays a predominant role in five-of-six singles spots for Cornell this season. Since their arrival on campus, the Big Red has increased its win total each year, going from eight wins in 2008 to 14 in 2009, 18 in 2010 and 26 in 2011. They are also just the second class in program history to finish in the top-four of the Ivy League standings each season.

GROWING IVY – The Big Red is 17-4 in Ivy League play over its last three seasons and has now won 10 straight conference matches.

BIG RED IN THE NCAAS – Cornell is making its first trip to the NCAA tournament as a team, but four Big Red players have made the singles tournament over the years. Jerry Levin '63 (1963), Dirk Dugan '72 (1971), Dave Merrit '84 (1984), and Mike Halperin '01 (2000) have all qualified for the tournament over the years with Levin and Dugan both advancing to the third round before being knocked out.

BACK ON THE BIG STAGE – While a trip to the NCAAs might be new to his team, head coach Tony Bresky finds himself back in familiar territory, as the Cornell leader will be taking a team to the NCAA tournament for the 10th time. Bresky has taken every team that he's ever coached with to the Big Dance, first as a graduate assistant with Indiana State (twice), then as an assistant and associate head coach with Virginia (seven times).

HOW'D WE GET HERE – Both the Big Red and Louisville earned their respective conferences automatic bids to the NCAA tournament, but in opposite ways. Cornell went a perfect 7-0 in the Ivy League to snatch the regular season crown and automatic bid (there is no conference tournament in the league), while the Cardinals went 3-0 in the Big East tournament (there is no regular season champion in the conference), to earn the spot.

CORNELL VS. THE FIELD – The Big Red has a 4-3 record against teams participating in the 2011 NCAA tournament. This season, Cornell has posted victories against Binghamton (twice), Radford and Virginia Commonwealth, while falling to Maryland, UNC-Wilmington and Virginia.

ALL IVY – For the first time in school history, the Big Red had three players collect a total of four first-team All-Ivy honors in the same season with Evan Bernstein (doubles), Andy Gauthier (singles) and Jonathan Jaklitsch (singles and doubles) earning the award. Gauthier and Jaklitsch become the first pair of Big Red teammates to earn first-team All-Ivy honors for singles play in the same season ... Jeremy Feldman also earned a second-team All-Ivy selection.
SWEEP SUCCESS – Of its 26 victories this season, Cornell has swept its opponent 11 times … Of its four losses, the Big Red has been swept only once.

AGAINST THE TOP 25 – The match vs. Louisville will be just Cornell's second of the season against a top-25 opponent (0-1).

NO. 5 TO STAY ALIVE – The No. 5 spot has proven to be a crucial one for the Big Red, as three of Cornell's four losses have included a loss by the player at number five in the order.

CORNELL IN THE RANKINGS – The Big Red has an opportunity to have its highest finish in the ITA rankings since the polls expanded to 75 teams in 1997. Cornell has posted a top-75 finish twice in that time, finishing at 73 in 2001 and at 65 last season.
FIRST-YEAR MARKS – Tony Bresky's 26 wins in his first season as head coach nearly doubles the previous record. Prior to 2011, the most wins by a first-year head coach was 14 by David Gaetz in 2009 and Steve Medoff in 1982.

WIN NO. 700 – Cornell won its 700th dual match as a program with a 7-0 home sweep of Kutztown on Feb, 26, 2011. The Big Red has posted a 715-628-18 record dating back to 1906.

UP NEXT – The winner of the Cornell/Louisville match will face the winner of the Kentucky/Cleveland State on Saturday, May 14 at 3 p.m.