Ronnie Hohmann was named SEC Co-Player of the Week following the two weekend wins for the Tigers, including an upset against No. 17 Auburn.
In the two matches this past weekend, Hohmann won all of his singles matches and picked up a ranked doubles win against No. 13 Siim Troost and Jeremie Casabon.
Hohmann now ranks No. 75 in ITA singles rankings and No. 50 in ITA doubles rankings with Nick Watson.
The Tigers picked up their third and fourth SEC wins this past weekend in Baton Rouge, defeating No. 17 Auburn and No. 71 Vanderbilt 4-1.
On Friday, the Tigers completed an upset against Auburn, playing perfect singles to secure their victory. Doubles play started the day, and the Tigers fell behind quickly following a loss from pair Welsh Hotard and Stefan Latinovic 1-6.
Chen Dong and his duo George Stoupe fought back, taking the second doubles match 6-2 and drawing level with Auburn. Then ranked No. 90 duo Ronnie Hohmann and Nick Watson fell in the last doubles match against No. 29 Raul Dobai and Finn Murgett 4-6, bringing Auburn to an early lead.
From there forward it was all purple and gold, and the LSU Tigers took the match with four consecutive singles wins. Latinovic started it off with a ranked win against No. 122 Alejandro Moreno, winning 6-4, 6-1.
Stoupe followed with another straight sets victory, winning his match 6-4, 6-1 as well. Then No. 80 Hohmann made quick work of his ranked opponent No. 59 Tyler Stice, winning 6-0, 6-4.
Julien Penzlin brought home the win for the Bayou Bengals, securing a hard-fought victory against his opponent 7-6(7-5), 6-3. Coach Danny Bryan followed the win with some praise for the Tigers.
“It was a great performance, and I am so happy for the guys,” Coach Bryan said. “I think it just shows the character of the guys. There’s been a lot of different times during the season when they could have felt like they weren’t quite good enough. The guys really have stepped up.”
The Tigers followed that success with another SEC win on Sunday, defeating No. 71 Vanderbilt 4-1 as well.
The Tigers came out strong against the Commodores and got on the scoresheet early with two doubles victories.
Then No. 90 Ronnie Hohmann and Nick Watson started off with a ranked upset against No. 13 Siim Troost and Jeremie Casabon, winning with a dramatic 6-0 shutout. Stefan Latinovic and Welsh Hotard followed suit and secured the doubles point for the Tigers, winning 6-3.
Play moved to singles following the second doubles match with LSU having a 1-0 lead, and then No. 80 Hohmann doubled the Tiger lead with a 6-4, 6-2 straight sets win. Hotard continued the win streak, finishing his match in straight sets and securing his victory 6-2, 6-4.
Latinovic dropped his singles match to Joubert Klooper, and the Commodores drew back to take the score to 3-1 in favor of LSU.
Stoupe followed with a win of his own, winning 6-3, 6-3 and securing the match victory for the Tigers. The following matches did not finish.
“I’m really proud of how the guys played today, especially the seniors,” Bryan said. “Ronnie and Nick got us going in doubles with a 6-0 win over the No. 13 pair in the country is pretty darn impressive. We were able to send our seniors off the right way at home. Now we’re looking ahead to the SEC Tournament where we will play Thursday.”
The Tigers will travel back to Auburn on Thursday to compete in the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss.
