The LSU men’s tennis team will start off their fall season today at the Marriot/Rice tournament in Houston. Friday’s tournament will be the first of five for the fall semester. The tournaments will serve as a preseason for the Tigers before they begin the regular season in the spring. Coach Jeff Brown is hoping to take advantage of these tournaments to build his team’s confidence. “We’re looking to make improvement,” Brown said. “That’s what the fall’s all about. We’re also trying to put a lot of wins together to gain confidence and hopefully improve our team ranking going into the spring.” The Tigers will face players from Southern Methodist University, the University of Tulsa, Rice University, Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University. LSU has a great deal of experience on its side with three seniors and five juniors on the roster. Brown is hoping this experience will help prevent the team from being held back by some of the growing pains that can slow down younger teams. “We shouldn’t have to go through some of the things you have to go through with freshmen and with learning things,” Brown said. “Whether it’s traveling on the road and dealing with hostile environments, to taking care of yourself off the court and those kind of issues that sometimes come up with younger teams. So hopefully we’ve been through the fire with a lot of these guys, and hopefully we’ll be able to put that to use when it comes time for the team matches.” After finishing in the top 25 eight out of the past nine years under Brown, the upperclassmen feel that this could be a big season for the Tigers. “You can tell in practice with the way that everyone handles themselves,” said senior Danny Bryan. “This year we have more of a sense of urgency to really get it done.” Sophomore James Cluskey is the team’s only underclassman. Cluskey impressed coaches enough last season to be paired up with senior Ken Skupski in doubles play for this season. Skupski, a two time ITA All-American, is coming off a successful season, one that saw him win his second-consecutive Southeastern Conference Coaches Indoor Singles title before winning his first NCAA tournament game. Coaches have praised Skupski for his competitiveness, to which they attribute much of his success. “He’s just got a good sense about what he wants to do with his tennis,” Brown said “You know he wants to be a pro, and he goes about things in that way. The way he practices and the way he competes, he tends to take it to another level when he’s out on the court and in the competition, and he’s able to change gears and his match attitude.” Skupski had to leave the tournament early due to a nagging back injury but has recovered since then and is ready to play. “He’s fine,” Brown said about Skupski’s health. “He seems to have managed it well; he seems to be fit and that’s going to be a big thing for him transitioning into a pro career.” The Tigers will also get their first chance to see junior Jan Zelezny play. The transfer from Colorado was forced to switch schools after Colorado canceled their men’s tennis program. The Czech native was named Colorado’s Most Complete Student Athlete in the 2005 season.
—–Contact Will Dunn at [email protected]