After losing four straight contests to its in-state big brother, Tulane looks to turn the tide against LSU on Wednesday.
As No. 57 LSU (11-12, 2-9 Southeastern Conference) enters the last week of the 2014 regular season, it’s still searching for consistency starting with Wednesday afternoon’s match against No. 61 Tulane (13-6) in New Orleans.
The match serves as not only a tune-up opportunity going into the SEC Championships on April 16, but it’s also an important contest LSU can’t take lightly, LSU coach Jeff Brown said.
“It’s a big match,” Brown said. “We have a rivalry with them that goes back further than other sports.”
Feeding fuel to the rivalry is the fact that the Green Wave’s coach Mark Booras is a former LSU assistant under Brown.
Booras spent 10 years at LSU, six as the assistant coach, before being named Tulane’s head coach in 2008. His first season as the Green Wave’s coach was the program’s first season since a three-year hiatus caused by Hurricane Katrina.
After being named 2007’s National Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Booras has carried his Final Four experience with LSU in 1999 down to New Orleans.
“[Booras] has them in a good position,” Brown said. “I’m proud of them. … They’re building, certainly. You’ve got to be ready to go.”
In 2014, Tulane boasts its best record since the 2005 season, in which it went 23-6 before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to LSU.
With the end of the regular season rapidly approaching, Brown said a big win for LSU is important to snap its three-match losing streak and gain confidence going into the conference tournament next week.
“We just want to go down there and have a great match and hope to get things going in the right direction before Arkansas [on Friday],” Brown said.