The Auburn men’s tennis team got the best of LSU at the ITA Kickoff Weekend back in January. Now LSU has a chance to avenge a 4-1 loss.
LSU (7-10, 2-4) takes on No. 18 Auburn (11-6, 3-3) today at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium at 3 p.m., and Alabama comes to town Sunday for another home match at 1 p.m.
LSU won the doubles point against Auburn on Jan. 30 but could not muster a win in singles. Junior Neal Skupski and senior Sebastian Carlsson rose two spots to No. 10 in the country despite losing 8-3 Saturday to the No. 1 doubles team, Tennessee’s John-Patrick Smith and Boris Conkic.
Skupski said the team has been “going back to the basics” in doubles this week in hopes of getting back on track against Auburn, who has won six straight matches against LSU.
“We did some doubles yesterday, working on a lot of first volleys, nailing returns and making first serves to get back into the rhythm,” Skupski said.
LSU men’s coach Jeff Brown gave the players Sunday and Monday off after the Tennessee loss, and he said that rest helped them regain physical and mental strength.
“It was the first time they’ve had two full days off of tennis since January, so that was nice for them,” Brown said. “But Auburn has been a real pain in our side the last few years. They’re ranked so high because their personnel is very strong, and they’re well-coached.”
LSU’s second home match this weekend will be against Alabama (8-7, 1-5), who sits in fifth place in the SEC West.
Brown said the Crimson Tide’s record does not tell the whole story about their team.
“Alabama is not having quite as good a year as they’ve had in the last several years, but they can still surprise you at any time,” Brown said. “They’re getting healthy now. That’s been their biggest issue this year with so many injuries in the fall.”
The LSU women’s tennis team (9-9, 3-3) will play Auburn and Alabama on the road this weekend, beginning with Auburn (4-13, 0-6) today at 2:30 p.m. and then Sunday at Alabama (9-5, 2-3) at 1 p.m.
The Lady Tigers are coming off two straight shutout losses in conference play against No. 7 Georgia at home and at No. 16 Tennessee last week. Auburn is in the cellar of the SEC West, still lacking a conference win this season.
The LSU women’s team has had more success against Auburn than the LSU men’s team, as the Lady Tigers lead the all-time series, 24-9, including a 5-2 win in 2010.
LSU added junior college transfer Olivia Howlett to the team before the Georgia match. The former Hillsborough (Tampa, Fla.) Community College player and 2010 NJCAA national champion is still winless at LSU, losing two doubles matches with partner Whitney Wolf and falling in singles twice.