After never defeating Louisville, coach and seniors face the Cardinals in NCAA Tournament

A little more than a month ago, ahead of a stinging 4-3 home loss to Louisville that could have been the current trio of Hoosier seniors’ final contribution to the heated series, senior Stephen Vogl dubbed the Cardinals the Hoosiers’ “biggest rival” while also likening two squads’ familiarity to that of brothers.

As it turns out, Vogl and fellow seniors Will Kendall and Jeremy Langer will get yet another shot at redemption against their Bluegrass State brethren — with the stakes higher than ever.

No. 27 Indiana (23-9) will play No. 37 Louisville (18-9) in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament, whose bracket was released Tuesday evening.

The news was greeted by a mixture of beaming grins and incredulous looks from the Hoosiers, who had gathered at BuffaLouie’s to watch the selection show.

The rematch, scheduled for noon May 11 in Lexington, Ky., will mark the sixth time the two programs have faced each other in the past five years. Louisville’s 5-0 record in those encounters suggests the Cardinals have been the rivalry’s dominant force, but three of those victories have come in the form of 4-3 wins.

“They’re a team we don’t like to lose to, and they’ve got the best of us the last few years,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “I think the guys are excited to get a second chance this year with them.”

Should the Hoosiers finally break through against the Cardinals under Bloemendaal, who has not beaten Louisville since taking over in 2007, they will advance to meet the winner of No. 6 Kentucky (26-5) and No. 75 Radford (20-5).

Either matchup would pit the cream and crimson against yet another familiar foe. IU saw action against both squads in January, winning seven of eight singles contests against Radford and dropping a 7-0 decision to the Wildcats.

However, Bloemendaal asserted that the Hoosiers cannot afford to divert their attention from Louisville to potential battles, however enticing, deeper in the tournament. He added that the focused mentality will be especially key for Vogl, Kendall and Langer, whose IU careers would end with a defeat next Friday.

“I’ve been on a countdown with them,” Bloemendaal said. “You’ve got ‘x’ number of matches. We’re down to the scenario where you have one or six. Basically, there’s a sense of urgency in everything you do, and we’ve been talking about that for two months with the seniors.

“I don’t think they want it to be one more, or even two. So I think they’re going to work at it to make sure that they move onto the next level and put themselves in position.”