LSU’s final home stand of the 2014 season was a retrospective weekend.
The men’s tennis team showcased the future of the program to past players and coaches who gathered at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium for an alumni reunion.
The No. 61 Tigers (11-10, 2-7 SEC) defeated No. 36 South Carolina (10-10, 3-5 SEC) 4-3 on Friday before falling 4-0 to No. 15 Florida (10-7, 5-3 SEC) on Sunday, demonstrating their potential to several alumni on hand while also showing there is still room for improvement.
“It’s almost like it was a scripted match on Friday as far as what we could provide them with a memory,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown. “They get to see that there’s some work to be done and that’s fine too.”
Prior to a thrilling come-from-behind victory against the Gamecocks on Friday, the men’s tennis program celebrated an alumni reunion at the Bocage Racquet Club on Thursday night.
Joining Brown and his 2014 squad were former players from several different eras, including six lettermen from the 1950s and many of Brown’s teammates from the 1988 NCAA runner-up team that lost to Stanford in the finals.
The 1988 season remains the most successful in LSU history, and players from that squad, including the 1989 NCAA Singles champ Donni Leaycraft, former coach Jerry Simmons and Felix Barrientos, who beat Stanford’s Patrick McEnroe in the final, were on hand to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their memorable season.
“It’s been a great weekend,” Brown said. “For all those years, there were certainly fond memories. There was talk of the ’88 team that resonates today. … Having some of the teammates of mine from the NCAA finals team, I haven’t seen some of them since then.”
Current Tigers, including junior Chris Simpson, said they enjoyed visiting with some of the past players who helped pave the way for the present tennis program.
The support from alumni, along with a record crowd of 378 people, allowed LSU to overcome a 3-1 deficit to South Carolina on Friday.
Because of the threat of rain on Friday, singles were played prior to doubles. Shortly after, several tennis alumni were honored on court between singles and doubles play. LSU secured its second SEC win of the season behind sophomore Tam Trinh and freshman Eric Perez’s 8-6 clincher.
“It was brilliant to hear about the past of LSU tennis, and getting to see all the teams from past years was awesome,” Simpson said. “They really did help us out Friday and when it came down to the last couple of points, the crowd got us through.”
While fans were treated to an emotional victory on Friday, they witnessed the reality of LSU’s developing program in a 4-0 loss to the Gators during Sunday’s match.
Although Friday’s victory was encouraging, Brown said it’s important for the Tigers to learn how to react to their wins. And heading into the final stretch of the season, he said it is critical that LSU continues to improve.
“[Florida] finished us off and South Carolina didn’t,” Brown said. “Against Florida, they’re a little more higher level so they make you pay for your mistakes just a little bit more. That’s what these matches are about and this season is about, learning to handle different situations whether it’s a win or a loss.”