BEAUMONT, Texas – After the most unusual end to a season in tennis history (or any other sport), the Lamar University men's tennis team will step back on the court Friday for the first time since mid-March to compete in a team event. The Cardinals travel to Waco, Texas Friday to take on the nationally ranked Baylor Bears – a team who finished the fall season ranked 30^th nationally. For the Cardinals, it will be the first team match since a 5-2 victory over Youngstown State on March 11^th – a match at the time that Big Red thought would be one of its final precursors to the start of Southland Conference play.
 
The Cardinals lost only two players from last year's squad and return six from a team that won seven matches in just half a season. LU boasts five returnees from its starting singles lineup, including the top three positions. The Cardinals were catching fire right as the 2020 campaign came to an end winning three of the last five matches.
 
Friday's contest won't be LU's first competition of the season. Despite all the restrictions, the Cardinals were cleared to play in two fall tournaments in preparation for the start of the spring season.
 
The Bears enter this season looking to build on a 13-3 (.812) mark when the shutdown happened last season. Of the Bears' three setbacks, two came against teams ranked among the nation's top 10. Friday will be a similar story for the Bears who also got in a reduced fall schedule in preparation for the spring season opener. In additon to their national team ranking, the Bears also have six players ranked among the ITA national singles rankings. 
 
Friday's contest will mark the 16^th all-time meeting between the two schools, but the first since the 2016-17 season. The Cardinals have dropped the last nine meetings, a stretch that dates back to a 5-4 victory over the Bears during the 1983-84 season. That match was the fifth of five-straight victories for the Cardinals.
 
Friday will serve as the spring season opener for both teams. The match will begin at noon from the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.