LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over a month into the season, the Bellarmine men's and women's tennis teams are each set for three non-conference matches this week.
 
The men's team (2-5) starts a 10-match homestand on Thursday when the Knights host IUPUI at 3:00 p.m.  BU will then face Indiana Tech and Campbellsville at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively inside the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex on Sunday.
 
The women's squad (3-7) travels to Knoxville on Friday for a neutral site matchup with Charlotte at 1:30 p.m., followed by a battle with Tennessee at 4:30 p.m.  Off a quick turnaround, the Knights will head back to Louisville for a home match against Northern Kentucky at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The Bellarmine women are coming off a pair of dominant 7-0 wins over Marian and Southern Indiana this past weekend.  The Knights did not lose a set all day, and Head Coach Brian Slack was pleased with the effort:
 
"We played well in singles in the first sets," Slack said. "We relaxed a little in the second sets, but overall I was happy with how our team played against a solid Marian team.  In the second match, we came out with a lot more energy…that was our most complete match as far as energy from beginning to end this season!"
 
The Knights' first opponent this weekend, Charlotte, is 6-3 this spring.  The 49ers have faced six power-five opponents and collected victories against Virginia Tech and Iowa.  Tennessee has posted a 4-2 record this year with wins over Wake Forest, Western Carolina (twice), and Furman.  The Volunteers fell to no. 12 Ohio State and most recently N.C. State.   Northern Kentucky is 3-2 this year, coming off a 4-3 win over Eastern Kentucky.  The Norse have beaten EKU twice thus far along with a win over Thomas More.
 
The Bellarmine men suffered a heartbreaking defeat at Xavier last Friday, coming up just short of their first road win by a final score of 4-3.  Bellarmine claimed the doubles point and got singles wins from freshmen Matthew Nice and Eli Wood.
 
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that Nice has won his second ASUN Player of the Week honor this season.  He was the first Bellarmine player to earn the honor on Jan. 25, and his play has continued to impress.  After a season-opening loss at NKU, Nice has won five straight singles matches against opponents from Louisville, Michigan State, West Liberty, Illinois, and Xavier.  Nice's most recent win against Ryan Cahill of the Musketeers was in the no. 1 spot – his first no. 1 singles win of the year. 
 
Bellarmine's first opponent this week, IUPUI, is 1-8 this season.  The Jaguars have played one common opponent, Xavier, and lost by a final score of 6-1.  IUPUI is coming off its first win, however, with a 5-2 victory at Marquette.  Indiana Tech has yet to compete this spring, and will do so for the first time on Friday against Indiana Wesleyan.  Campbellsville is 1-2 this spring, including a 7-0 win over IU-Southeast on Sunday.

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