The LSU men’s tennis squad is set for doubleheader action Friday when they take on both Kentucky and the University of New Orleans at W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
The action is set to begin at 3 p.m. when the Tigers play No. 25 Kentucky before resuming action at 7 p.m. against UNO.
After an up-and-down loss to Michigan on Feb. 21, head coach Jeff Brown is looking forward to getting back on the court for Southeastern Conference play.
“[Kentucky] is a rival of ours,” Brown said. “We’ve gone back and forth with them. … We’re looking to use the energy of the home match and the crowd to build enough of a lead.”
Kentucky has dominated the match up for quite some time. LSU fans would have to look back to 2008 to recall the last time the Tigers defeated Kentucky on the court.
Brown said Kentucky is more experienced in some areas, but if the Tigers can get out to a good enough lead before the experience can settle in, they could be successful.
With the UNO matchup set to open serve at 7 p.m., the Tigers will have little time to rest after their Kentucky match.
The team hopes to use the doubleheader to showcase the talent of junior Chris Simpson who was named SEC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week Wednesday.
Simpson has not lost a singles or doubles match since Jan. 26, leading to a 6-1 record in singles matches this season.
“He’s had a really good year this year,” Brown said. “I think the difference with him this year is he is more aware of his opponents’ weaknesses and seems to be able to jump on people a little more.”
Simpson will be pitted against Kentucky senior Tom Jomby, the No. 14 ranked player in the nation.
Simpson is no stranger to battling the nation’s best, as he defeated nine ranked opponents last season. Most notably, he defeated the No. 3 player in the nation at the time, Mikelis Libietis from Tennessee.
Simpson will look to take that experience into Friday’s match to pull off another impressive victory in his career and for the Tigers when they take the court at 3 p.m. Friday at W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium to kick off the double header.