The 19th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team continued to roll past Southeastern Conference competition this weekend at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.
The Tigers defeated No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday and unranked Mississippi State on Sunday to extend their winning streak to five games. The win over Ole Miss also gave the Tigers possession of first place in the SEC Western Division.
“It’s great,” said LSU senior Mark Growcott. “We got off to a slow start in conference, but we’ve gotten it together and we’re all playing a lot better.”
Friday was LSU’s first victory over the Rebels since 2001. The Tigers began the match on a high note by taking the doubles point from the Rebels. It was the fifth straight match in which LSU won the doubles point, and it proved to be the deciding factor in the Tigers 4-3 victory.
LSU’s 12th-ranked tandem of Growcott and junior Ken Skupski earned a victory in doubles play, defeating by the Rebels’ 15th-ranked duo of Erling Tveit and Eric Claesson, 9-8 (3).
“The match came down to No. 1 doubles,” said Ole Miss coach Billy Chadwick in a news release. “They [Skupski and Growcott] were NCAA finalists a year ago, and they played like it.”
The Tigers then weathered a tough Rebels singles lineup, which featured four ranked players.
Reigning SEC Player of the Week Danny Bryan continued his strong play for the Tigers, blowing by Ole Miss’ Bram ten Berge, 6-2, 6-1. LSU also got victories from 22nd-ranked Skupski over Ole Miss’ 16th-ranked Tveit, as well as unranked Colt Gaston upsetting No. 40 Eric Claesson, 7-5, 6-4.
“We played a complete match today and that’s what it takes to beat a team like Ole Miss,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown in a news release. “Danny, Ken and Colt played really well and those are quality wins they picked up.”
LSU cruised to a 7-0 win over Mississippi State on Sunday, which was also senior day for Growcott and fellow senior Paul White.
The win improved the Tigers’ record to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in the SEC.
“Today was another complete match,” Brown said. “We just need to keep competing like that down the stretch.”
Contact Matt Mears at [email protected]
