The Book: 2002-03 Tennis (M/W)

[NewsCopy]

Today is a big day for the Cajun Netters. UL still ranking in the Top 75 at #63 are playing #64 ranked UNO. The Sunbelt is looking very strong in Men's tennis this year with 3 teams in the top 75. USA leads the pack ranked #57, the UL at #63 and UNO at #64.

Today is a big day and a chance for UL to move up in the rankings and garuentee themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament. Our next 2 matches are easily winnable vs SLU and a very poor Colorado team. Then we have a showdown with USA for the conference championship. The match today starts at 2:00 pm CST in New Orleans.

Good luck to the Cajun Netters.

The source of the story

DELPHI
BucktownCajun (RAGINDAVE)

[NewsCopy]

UL’s Jakub Ilowski drops third-straight match

NEW ORLEANS-Four matches went to a third set, but Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s tennis team couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to prevail in a 4-3 loss to New Orleans here Wednesday afternoon.

No. 63 Louisiana fell to 8-8, while the No. 64-ranked Privateers improve to 15-4. The Cajuns are now 1-6 this season against nationally-ranked opponents. All seven matches were played on the road.

Senior and No. 77-ranked Jakub Ilowski, once ranked as high as No. 48 in the ITA Rankings, dropped his third consecutive match and fell to 9-4 after a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 loss to No. 62 Viktor Loven. The loss was Ilowski’s first to a ranked opponent this season.

Amanjot Singh bounced back from Friday’s loss to Tulane’s Michael Kogan with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over UNO’s Pierre Ros-Barbier. Singh improves to 8-6.

Junior Michael Tarkowski (9-7) extended his winning streak to three matches, easing past Julien De La Maitrie 6-0, 7-6.

In doubles, Ilowski and Ivan Kovalev won their fourth match in-a-row with an 8-2 victory over De La Maitrie and Saif Ali of UNO. Ilowski/Kovalev improve to 8-8, reaching the .500 plateau for the first time this season, while Marc Castellana and Tarkowski dip below the .500 mark (7-8) for the first time this season. Castellana and Tarkowski lost 8-5 to Michael Chkroun and Loven.

Evghenii Corduneanu and Singh notched their 11th win of the season after an 8-5 victory over Anders Oding and Ros-Barbier.

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s tennis team returns to action Saturday when they travel to Houston to face Colorado in a 1:30 p.m. dual match held at Rice University. The match, originally scheduled for March 17th in Boulder, CO, was postponed due to a snow storm.

---

MATCH RESULTS
#64 New Orleans 4, #63 Louisiana 3
SINGLES
#1 #77 Jakub Ilowski (UL) l. to #62 Viktor Loven (UNO) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
#2 Ivan Kovalev (UL) l. to #95 Michael Chkroun (UNO) 6-2, 6-3
#3 Amanjot Singh (UL) def. Pierre Ros-Barbier (UNO) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
#4 Michael Tarkowski (UL) def. Julien De La Maitrie (UNO) 6-0, 7-6
#5 Marc Castellana (UL) l. to Saif Ali (UNO) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
#6 Evghenii Corduneanu (UL) l. to Anders Oding (UNO) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1

DOUBLES
#1 Castellana/Tarkowski (UL) l. to Chkroun/Loven (UNO) 8-5
#2 Ilowski/Kovalev (UL) def. De La Maitrie/Ali (UNO) 8-2
#3 Corduneanu/Singh (UL) def. Oding/Ros-Barbier (UNO) 8-5

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

UL has lost six of their last eight matches

HOUSTON, Texas – After a snowstorm canceled their original meeting, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s tennis team will try to get back on track against the University of Colorado here Saturday in a 1 p.m. dual match at Jack Hess Tennis Stadium on the campus of Rice University.

The first meeting was originally scheduled for March 17 in Boulder, Colo., but was postponed due to a major snowstorm.

Louisiana-Lafayette (8-8) has lost their last two matches and six of their last eight. The Cajuns are 3-8 on the road this season. Colorado, on the other hand, is on a roll.

The Buffaloes have won their last three matches.

Senior and No. 77-ranked Jakub Ilowski (9-4) has lost three consecutive matches, two of them in straight sets.

Junior Michael Tarkowski (9-7) began the season 6-1 and then suffered a six-match losing streak before reeling off three straight wins.

In doubles, Ilowski and Ivan Kovalev have won four straight matches to even their record at 8-8.

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s tennis team will travel to Hammond on Tuesday to face Southeastern Louisiana in a 2 p.m. dual match at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

MOBILE, Ala. – After two straight eighth place finishes at the Sun Belt conference Tennis Tournament, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s tennis team will look to win its first Sun Belt Conference title since 1992 when they take on New Mexico State in the first round of the SBC Championship Friday at 3 p.m. here at the Mobile Tennis Center.

Louisiana enters the 26th Annual Sun Belt Championships as the No. 3 seed. Last season, Louisiana-Lafayette was the No. 6 seed when they knocked off the No. 3 seed, New Mexico State, 4-3

The Cajuns (9-10), ranked No. 71 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s rankings, has not faired well on the road this season, posting a 4-10 record away from Acadiana. In their last road match of the season, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns were shut down by No. 64 South Alabama 7-0 in Mobile.

The Cajuns will also look to reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2000, when Louisiana finished 15-7. That season’s squad finished second in the Sun Belt Championships.

In their last meeting, then-No. 57 Louisiana cruised past the Aggies 6-1 at Cajun Courts. Senior Jakub Ilowski (11-5) saw his nine-match winning streak come to an end, after a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 loss to Mark Roberts. Since beginning the season 9-1, No. 83-ranked Ilowski has dropped four of his last six matches, including two straight to a nationally-ranked opponent.

---

26th Annual Sun Belt Conference Men’s Tennis Tournament

April 25-27, 2003 (Mobile, Ala.)
(7) Arkansas-Little Rock vs. (2) New Orleans, Friday 10 a.m. (MTC)
(6) New Mexico State vs. (3) Louisiana, Friday 3 p.m. (MTC)
(8) Western Kentucky vs. (1) South Alabama, Friday 1 p.m. (USA)
(5) Denver vs. (4) Middle Tennessee, Friday 10 a.m. (USA)

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

It took exactly one year for the Lady Cajuns of Louisiana tennis team to win a match. On April 13, 2002, UL defeated Southern Miss 4-0 in Hattiesburg, Miss. Then, the losing streak began. The Cajuns endured a 15-match losing streak before getting back in the win column. The Lady Cajuns knocked off Southern University 4-1 on April 13 on this year.

Louisiana (1-12) enters the 19th Annual Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No .11 seed. The Cajuns will face No. 6 Florida International (5-12). UL's lone win is the fewest wins for the program since 1988 when then-USL won only two matches (2-10). The Golden Panthers hold a 3-0 edge in the series with the Lady Cajuns.

In last season’s SBC Championships, Louisiana dropped both matches, a 4-1 decision to Arkansas-Little Rock in the first round and a 4-2 decision to North Texas in the Ninth Place match.

Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns will face the FIU Golden Panthers at 8 a.m. on Friday at the Mobile Tennis Center.

19th Annual Sun Belt Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament
April 25-27, 2003 (Mobile, Ala.)
(10) Western Kentucky vs. (7) New Mexico State, Friday 8 a.m. (MTC)
10/7 winner plays (2) Denver, Friday 3 p.m. (MTC)
(6) Florida International vs. (11) Louisiana, Friday 8 a.m. (MTC)
6/11 winner plays (3) Middle Tennessee, Friday 3 p.m. (MTC)
(9) North Texas vs. (8) Arkansas State, Friday 8 a.m. (MTC)
9/8 winner plays (1) South Alabama, Friday 4 p.m. (USA)
(5) Arkansas-Little Rock vs. (4) New Orleans, Friday 3 p.m. (MTC)

LOUISIANA SI