The LSU men’s tennis team puts a 74-game streak on the line this weekend as the Tigers host the Southern Jaguars and the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners.
The Tigers have won 74 straight matches versus in-state opponents. The last time the Tigers lost an in-state match was to Tulane, 7-2, in the final game of the 1973 season.
LSU is 2-0 this season for the 18th consecutive year. The Tigers hosted Southern last weekend in dual match play and dropped the Jaguars 7-0.
Head coach Jeff Brown said that playing non-conference foes early in the season allows his team to fine-tune before conference play begins.
“It allows the team to get used to the process of the dual match,” Brown said.
Junior Cory Ross earned his ninth singles victory of the season last weekend over Southern’s Tommy Pernell to improve to 9-5 on the season.
The duo of Bryan Fisher and Jason Hazley also improved to 11-2 last weekend against Southern with a 8-2 victory over the Jaguars’ tandem of Alex Hidalgo and Benjamin Noube.
“This is a pretty focused group,” Brown said about this year’s squad. “The guys get along and push each other all the time. I don’t want to set any limits on these guys.”
Brown believes that both Southern and the University of Texas-San Antonio provide a good test for the Tigers early in the season.
“There’s no exhibition season,” he said. “Anything can happen any week. The parity and depth of college tennis is growing.” Overall, LSU is undefeated against Southern all-time.
The first match is set to begin at 4 p.m on Saturday at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.