The tradition of LSU sports is one that rings loud and clear from all venues around campus.  That rich history is what brings many quality athletes to the University, including the men’s and women’s tennis players.   W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium has been the home site for LSU tennis since 1970, and the six varsity courts and six practice courts carry great prowess as both teams have built exceptional records at home.   But the stadium lacks a set of indoor courts, and LSU is the only school in the Southeastern Conference without an indoor tennis facility.    One of the biggest disadvantages that comes from not having an indoor facility is the difficulty of adjusting practice schedules around Mother Nature.   “When we’re on the road we see how it is when it rains. You just go to the indoor facility, and that’s a nice way to do things,” said LSU men’s tennis coach Jeff Brown. “We don’t have that, and no doubt about it we’d like to have some consistency when it rains to know where we’re going to practice.”   When weather conditions prevent the men from practicing outside, they move to Independence Park, a two-court facility about five miles from campus.   Women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis also emphasized losing valuable practice time and having to relocate as major disadvantages.   “It’s hard because we have to go to the Country Club of Louisiana about 25 minutes away from campus and practice there usually from about 7 or 8 [until] 10 o’clock at night,” Minnis said. “There are also a lot of times when we’ll have one-on-one private lessons scheduled with the players at maybe 10 a.m., and when it rains we usually have to cancel that.”    Senior Associate Athletic Director Mark Ewing said building an indoor tennis facility on LSU’s campus is one of the athletic department’s upcoming projects.   “An indoor tennis facility is in our master plan,” Ewing said. “It’s one of the things we would like to build in the future, along right now with the baseball stadium and the softball stadium that we’re funding.”    Other goals Ewing outlined in the master plan include building practice venues for the basketball, volleyball and gymnastics teams and upgrading indoor and outdoor track facilities and the natatorium.  “We’re looking at alternatives out there, something to partnership with or an outside entity,” Ewing said. “So it is definitely high up there on our priority list along with those other facilities, and we feel we need to do all those to remain competitive in the conference.”   In the SEC, indoor facilities such as Georgia’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex, which underwent a $7.5 million renovation in 2002, draw national attention. Georgia hosted both the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships in 2007.  “In our conference, we’ve seen – especially in the last few years – facilities are a big part of what you can do with your program,” said Georgia men’s tennis coach Manuel Diaz. “In order to compete on the court and recruit the talent necessary to win a conference championship, indoor courts are vital.”   The Bulldogs are No. 3 in the nation this season, and Diaz said having their own indoor courts to prepare for matches is a great asset.    “Without a doubt, our ability to prepare for indoor matches and qualify for national indoor championships is a benefit,” he said. “It certainly helps or hurts in the preparation as well as the schedule and your ability to get matches in when you don’t have indoor facilities.”    LSU senior team captain Kevin Dessauer said impressive indoor facilities make for ideal practice environments. Although the team has been successful without an indoor facility, he said having one would strengthen the tennis program.    “It would be huge. This year when we played Illinois at [its] indoor facility we hadn’t played indoors all year,” Dessauer said. “It is frustrating to not be able to hit indoors when you know you’re going to play in that environment. It would be beneficial to recruiting and to our success during the year.”    Sophomore Hannah Robinson said because the style of play is so different indoors, not having an indoor facility is a definite limitation.   “It’s clearly a disadvantage because you can always hit the ball hard, but … indoors you hit the ball harder and flatter,” Robinson said. ”If you practice that all the time the courts are faster. It’s difficult to play someone who’s used to that, and that’s their game style.”   Brown said not having indoor courts could be a drawback for some players deciding where to play college tennis.   “Maybe it limits us a little bit as far as attraction and a selling point … but we get the best kids we can who want to come to LSU,” Brown said. “If we can attract another top-five national recruit as things improve, then that’s more power to us.”    Minnis agreed, saying he has even heard other schools using LSU’s lack of an indoor facility to influence recruits. “The recruiting has become an arms race,” he said. “It’s my job as a coach to do everything I can to get recruiting and sell the program.”   Minnis said tennis is unique because a team’s success often depends on its experience playing on various surfaces.   Ewing said a specific time frame for an indoor tennis facility is not yet clear.   “It’s not like we’re ignoring it; it’s just that we’re getting it into queue and getting it financed,” he said. “We’re a little behind other institutions, and we’ve got to catch up.”
—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]