Seven weeks into the 2013 spring season, the LSU men’s tennis team was unranked with a 5-6 record, going 0-4 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers finished the season 16-12 and ranked No. 20 after they railed off two wins against top 10 schools, starting with a 4-3 road win against then-No. 11 Texas A&M.
Seven weeks into 2014, the Tigers (7-7, 0-4 SEC) face a similar situation with No. 60 George Washington (7-4) and No. 9 Texas A&M (12-5, 3-1 SEC) set to square off at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium today and Sunday, respectively.
After several close losses this season, LSU coach Jeff Brown said a similar response from this year’s younger squad will be difficult.
“We’re certainly not where we want to be at this point,” Brown said. “We would’ve liked to pick up a win or two that we were in range to pick up. This is kind of the same spot we were in last year and we were able to turn it around pretty well.”
One of those wins Brown and his team would’ve hoped to grab was last weekend’s 4-3 loss against No. 38 Alabama. In the loss, junior Chris Simpson notched his first top 20 win of the season against the Crimson Tide’s then-No. 17 ranked Daniil Proskura.
Brown said the victory showed what Simpson is capable of.
Over the years, Brown said he’s seen Simpson mature as a player and a leader. While strong performances are needed from Simpson on the court, his leadership off it is just as important.
“[Simpson] and [Andrew Korinek] do a good job as our captains of trying to keep these guys understanding that this is part of a process,” Brown said.
A month away from the SEC Championships, LSU looks to get back on the winning track against George Washington today in preparation for its SEC matchup against Texas A&M this weekend.
“It’s somewhat good to learn how to dominate some opponents but in this case, it’s a quality opponent that will test us,” Brown said. “If we do get through it, we’ll get real confidence out of it. We’re going to give it our best shot and if we get a little confidence against George Washington and get things going a little more against A&M, who knows?”