The LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams begin ITA play this week by traveling to separate sites nationwide to compete in ITA Kickoff Weekend with the opportunity to qualify for the 2016 ITA Indoor National Championship.
The men’s team heads south to the University of South Florida’s campus in Tampa, Florida, to open its ITA Kickoff Weekend against Mississippi State at 9 a.m. on Saturday in the Varsity Sports Complex.
After their opening match, the Tigers will continue the tournament against either South Florida or Florida State on Sunday.
The men’s roster will be bolstered by the return of junior Jordan Daigle, who has been sidelined by a stomach injury since September.
In 2015, Daigle earned All-SEC First Team honors after posting an 11-7 record in singles play and 14-9 mark in doubles. He posted three wins against ranked opponents in singles, including a victory over Tulane’s then-No. 12 Dominic Koepfer. The Lafayette native finished last season ranked No. 76 by the ITA in singles and No. 14 in doubles in the country.
“We are all back now with a full team,” said senior Boris Arias. “I think we’ve been practicing really well, especially over the last week. I’m really excited about my last ITA Kick-Off.”
After sweeping a doubleheader against Southern and Nicholls State on Saturday, No. 21 Lady Tigers travel to Atlanta to participate in their ITA Weekend Kickoff tournament in the Ken Byers Tennis Complex on the campus of Georgia Tech.
The women’s team will start the tournament against Depaul at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Depending on the result on their first match, the Tigers will play either Georgia Tech or William & Mary on Sunday.
In the Lady Tigers’ victories against Nichols and Southern on Saturday, freshman Jessica Golovin shined as she defeating Julia Melendez of Nicholls 6-1, 6-4 and Southern’s Darnesha Moore 6-0, 6-4.
The New York City native’s performance translated into her first career Southeastern Conference honors when she was named SEC Freshman of the Week. She heads into the ITA Kickoff weekend ranked No. 52 in ITA singles ranking.
During LSU coach Julia Sell’s three-year tenure, the Lady Tigers have lost their first match in each ITA Kickoff Weekend tournament. LSU looks to combat the trend against DePaul on Saturday.
“The ITA Kickoff Weekend is always a very competitive weekend,” said LSU women’s tennis coach Julia Sell in a email. “We are looking forward to getting to Atlanta to play a very good DePaul team.”
You can reach Justin Talbot on Twitter @JT15_TDR