Win.
It’s something easier said than done in the Southeastern Conference, and the LSU’s men’s tennis team has learned that the hard way in 2014.
No. 54 LSU (11-10, 2-7 SEC) begins its four-match road trip in Knoxville, Tenn., today against No. 20 Tennessee (13-9, 2-6 SEC) followed by a visit to Athens, Ga., to face the No. 8 Bulldogs (12-6, 7-1 SEC) on Sunday.
Two top-20 matchups over the course of a weekend is common for the Tigers, as they compete in a conference that boasts 11 schools in the top 50, including six in the top 20.
“It’s a difficult conference,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown. “It’s certainly tough on us being so young this year and lacking a little experience. Any spot that you have, whether it’s your youth or your inexperience or injury, you’re going to struggle in tennis in
the SEC.”
Though LSU and Tennessee share near-identical SEC records, the Volunteers enjoy a higher national ranking, which Brown said is evidence of the conference’s strength.
And while the Tigers have won at least one match for three weeks in a row, continuing that streak will be a challenge this weekend.
“We’re at the point where every match is another opportunity,” Brown said. “Tennessee and Georgia have been traditional powers for years. We’re looking to play a hard match. We’re looking to play good, and if we have the opportunity to win, we’d be delighted to accept that.”
The Lady Tigers will welcome the women’s tennis teams of No. 45 Tennessee (9-10, 3-6 SEC) and No. 2 Georgia (15-3, 8-1 SEC) to W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium today and Sunday, respectively.
Echoing Brown, LSU coach Julia Sell said every week is a challenge for the No. 54 Lady Tigers (10-10, 2-8 SEC) in conference play, and this weekend will be no different.
“We are the strongest conference, hands down, top to bottom,” Sell said. “Our entire conference is probably top-20 teams, but we all beat up on each other. … We are the toughest conference. There’s no one else that comes close.”
With five SEC teams in the top 10 of the women’s rankings, LSU’s contest against Georgia will be its sixth top-10 matchup of the season.
And although the Lady Tigers are 0-6 in those matches, each week in the SEC offers LSU opportunities to notch a marquee
victory.
“They’re not bad losses, but we can’t get those wins,” Sell said. “We’re going to have to play our best tennis to beat a team like [Georgia]. We’ve shown we can go tight with a lot of top-10 teams; we just haven’t pulled off the win yet. We’re going to focus on
Friday first.”