The No. 20 LSU men’s tennis team faces a rematch against No. 17 South Carolina in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament today.

The Tigers (15-10 overall, 5-7 SEC) suffered a 1-4 loss to the Gamecocks (17-9 overall, 7-5 SEC) on March 31 in the second game of a long road trip. LSU raced out to win the doubles point, but faded once singles play started.

“We all came out pretty flat in the singles matches,” said senior Stefan Szacinski. “We had a tough road win against Florida, but now we’re well-rested so I think we’ll come out with more energy this time.”

The Tigers haven’t traveled since the South Carolina match and have battled to a 4-2 home record this month. LSU enters the match sporting renewed confidence after defeating Arkansas and Jackson State last weekend.

“There’s a lot of positives going into this match,” Szacinski said. “I think we’re capable of doing really well against any team of the SEC. We aren’t scared of anyone.”

The Tigers have an added advantage of having been on an extended home stand this month. The time at home has given the Tigers a chance to rest and prepare their bodies for the challenges of the SEC Tournament.

Szacinski said the Tigers are as rested as they have been all season going into the match against the Gamecocks.

Several of the Tigers have battled nagging injuries all season, with Szacinski, senior Olivier Borsos and senior Mark Bowtell all having struggled with fitness this season.

“All credit needs to go to [coach Jeff Brown],” said trainer Paul Porter. “He has really kept this team on course and kept them focused on the goal, which is to win the SEC Championship and hopefully make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.”

LSU comes into the tournament as a No. 11 seed, while South Carolina is the No. 6 seed.

The SEC Tournament gives several of the conference teams a chance to achieve a top-16 seed nationally, and with that comes the advantage of hosting the regional match in the NCAA tournament.

With the No. 20 ranking, LSU has a chance to move up if it can string together wins over the weekend.

“In the practice building up to the match, there’s a certain excitement about having something left to play for,” Brown said. “Those little things can make a difference when you’ve got guys who have been in the grind of the SEC all season.”