The No. 24 LSU men’s tennis team will take on University of South Florida on Sunday at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium in a rematch of last year’s hotly contested matchup.
The Tigers have beaten the Bulls 4-3 in each of the past two seasons, with each match being decided by the final point on court one.
“They always bring a tough team,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown. “The past two years have been real battles, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The Bulls are undefeated in dual matches this season under first-year head coach Matt Hill, and have only dropped one point in two matches so far this season.
USF kicks off a tough portion in the Tigers’ schedule, during which they will face top-60 teams in four of the next five matches, including No. 4 Ohio State.
“Teams anywhere from No. 15 all the way down to No. 70 are all pretty even this year,” Brown said. “We won’t really have a chance to catch our breath in the next couple of weeks.”
At the ITA Kick-Off weekend, LSU suffered defeat at the hands of then No. 11 Mississippi State, but bounced back by defeating then No. 23 Indiana.
“We came into the second day a lot more mentally focused,” said senior Mark Bowtell. “The first day was tough because they [Mississippi State] were in front of their home crowd and had a ton of energy.”
Brown said the Tigers will look to feed off that same crowd energy in their second match of the season in front of home fans.
The Lady Tigers will take on an SMU team they have played twice since the 2008-09 season, battling the Mustangs to a 1-1 record.
LSU has responded well to first-year head coach Julia Sell’s coaching style, opening the dual-match season 2-0. Senior Ebie Wilson has been especially effective so far this season, not dropping a single game in either of her first two matches.
“It was good to get back out there and do so well,” Wilson said. “I’m usually one of the last people on the court, so it was good to win those matches like I did.”
LSU has benefited from an early-season schedule that features three straight home dual-matches. Senior Kaitlin Burns said the homestand has helped the Lady Tigers find their groove for the rest of the season.
“You’ve got a group of girls who are playing some of the best tennis of their lives right now,” Sell said. “While that is awesome and exciting, it’s also kind of scary. … We’re trying to get through the confidence wall and prove to ourselves just how good we actually are.”
Men’s Tennis
Sunday at noon at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium against University of South Florida
Women’s Tennis
Saturday at noon at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium against SMU
“You’ve got a group of girls who are playing some of the best tennis of their lives right now. While that is awesome and exciting, it’s also kind of scary… we’re trying to get through the confidence wall and prove to ourselves just how good we actually are.”
