Around late March it was thought by many that the LSU men’s tennis team was the squad that had the upper hand in representing LSU in the NCAA tournament, but after the regular season concluded in April, that all changed.
The Lady Tigers received the news Tuesday that they will be going dancing as they were selected to the field of 64 for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament where they will take on No. 26 Pepperdine (18-4) on May 9.
The Lady Tigers snuck in to this year’s tournament after an unlikely run to the quarterfinals in the Southeastern Conference tournament that saw the Lady Tigers take down then-No. 26 Tennessee along the way.
The Lady Tigers, who finished 3-10 in the SEC, were surely written off as a legitimate NCAA tournament selection heading into the SEC tournament, but after marquee wins against South Florida in the regular season along with their impressive run in the conference tournament earlier this month, they were able to earn themselves a shot at making another shocking run.
LSU women’s coach Julia Sell said the team was ecstatic to hear the news that they would be participating in this year’s tournament.
“We knew we were going to be on the bubble and that we could either be two in or one out, so when they called our name, the room erupted,” Sell said.
Their first round opponent Pepperdine will be a tough team to beat going undefeated in West Coast Conference play along with winning the WCC tournament.
Sell said her team will be ready for the challenge when they head to Berkeley, Calif., to face Pepperdine.
“I think we’re in the best place we’ve been all season,” Sell said. “Pepperdine is a really good team, and they are playing with a lot of confidence. We’re going out to California so we’ll have to adjust to the court speed a little bit, but it’ll be sunny and beautiful and that’s what our team likes to play in.”
The Tigers on the other hand were left out of the men’s tournament officially bringing in the offseason for the squad.
The men’s season comes to an end after suffering a sweep at the hands of Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament on April 18.
The Tigers finished the season 14-14 with a 2-10 record in the SEC. Marquee wins against George Washington on March 13 and rival Ole Miss on March 23 weren’t enough to catapult the Tigers into the field of 64.
The Tigers’ inconsistent and shaky play in the SEC is likely what kept them out of this year’s tournament, making even their unlikely run in the SEC tournament not enough to keep them in the hunt.
LSU men’s coach Jeff Brown said the team is certainly disappointed with the outcome, but they are happy with the progress they made over the season.
“In the end, we needed to win one more match, or lose one less match,” Brown said. “I think it’s a good lesson for the guys on the team to recognize the importance of every situation. I think it’ll stick with this group with no seniors on the team.”
Brown said the future looks bright for the squad as they continued to get better as the season went along, giving them a lot to be excited for when next season comes around.
Now that the season has come to a close for the Tigers, they will look to build upon the experience they gained throughout the season and produce a more positive result in 2015.