The LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams spent the fall season preparing for the spring.
The Tigers were unable to earn a spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Intercollegiate Indoor Championships after falling in the ITA Southern Regional Championships.
The team’s run in the ITA Southern Regional Championships ended with losses by three players placed in the main draw singles quarterfinals and one doubles pair in the main draw doubles semifinals. LSU coach Jeff Brown said he was pleased with the results of the tournament.
“It was a very positive tournament, and we had some great results,” Brown said in a news release. “It shows us that we are doing a lot of things right in our practice and our conditioning.
The Tigers finished the season at the University of South Florida Fall Invitational. Stefan Szacinski was undefeated for the weekend, winning all seven of his singles and doubles matches. Brown said Szancinski’s performance was reflective of his work in practice.
“Stefan got so many wins because he works so hard in practice every day,” Brown said. “It was a great weekend for him.”
The Tigers are set to kickoff the spring season at the Key Biscayne Invitational. Brown said the team is gearing up for a tough season.
“The SEC is the strongest conference for our sport,” Brown said. “We play every team in the conference every year, and we have one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules in the nation. Our schedule is easily one of the top five toughest schedules in the nation. Our players come here to maximize their skills, and this schedule is part of that process.”
The Lady Tigers were also unable to make it to the ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships after losing in the singles and doubles draw of the ITA Southern Regional Championships. The team’s run at the ITA Regionals was ended when freshman duo Yvette Vlaar and Ariel Morton lost in the final round of consolation doubles. LSU coach Tony Minnis said he was proud of the effort.
“It was a great effort by [Yvette and Ariel] to get to the finals,” Minnis said in a news release. “We had a lot of ups and downs in the tournament, so we should have a good idea of what we need to work on as we move forward.”
The Tigers closed out the fall season at the Wake Forest Fall Invitational winning two out of six singles matches against Furman and losing all four their singles matches against Wake Forest.
The Lady Tigers will start the spring season, Minnis’ 20th as head coach, at the Virginia Winter Invitational. Minnis said he is excited for the 2011 season.
“Every year we try to play one of the top schedules in the country, and this year is no different,” Minnis said. “We have lots of great home matches and some tough road matches as well, which will prepare us for post-season play. It should be very exciting.”
 
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Contact Erin Henley at [email protected]