A pair of teams fresh off 7-0 defeats look to steady the proverbial ship this afternoon at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.
The LSU women’s tennis team (10-10, 4-4) welcomes No. 21 Vanderbilt to Baton Rouge to begin a weekend homestand, which is its last of the season.
“Vanderbilt is a great team,” said LSU women’s coach Tony Minnis. “This is another opportunity for us to get a win against a quality conference opponent and improve our position in the SEC West.”
The Lady Tigers haven’t played since Sunday when Alabama shut them out. The 7-0 loss was the third shutout loss in four matches for Minnis’ team since welcoming junior college transfer Olivia Howlett to the lineup.
In an effort to spark the team, Minnis separated junior Whitney Wolf and Howlett and matched Wolf with sophomore Kaitlin Burns on court 1. The duo went 4-3 earlier this spring and knocked off two nationally ranked teams.
“They just have so much chemistry,” Minnis said. “Kaitlin has improved a few parts of her game, so I thought we would put those two out there again.”
LSU finishes its home schedule Sunday at 1 p.m. against Kentucky. LSU’s lone senior, Kylie Adamek, will be honored before the match.
“Kylie represents what college athletics are all about,” Minnis said. “She plays because she loves LSU and she loves tennis. It’s been great having her around, and we’re going to miss her.”
Adamek, a Baton Rouge native, has lettered in her first three seasons as a Lady Tiger.
The LSU’s men’s team hits the road this weekend, headed for Nashville, Tenn. and Lexington, Ky.
The Tigers (9-10, 4-4) have won three of four matches, including a sweep last weekend of Auburn and Alabama at home.
Sophomore Olivier Borsos won Sunday on court 1, marking just the second time LSU has won court 1 in Southeastern Conference play.
With Borsos manning the No. 1 slot, junior Neal Skupski has flourished on court 2, winning three of his last four matches with the one loss at the hands of the nation’s No. 3 player.
“Neither one of the guys has played great in the one spot, but it’s good for Neal to maybe drop down and take a deep breath,” said LSU men’s coach Jeff Brown. “Who knows, we may shake things up, but for now that’s where they’re going to stay.”
LSU has struggled away from Robinson Stadium this spring, dropping seven of eight matches on the road.
“That’s not something we think about,” Brown said. “We have some good memories of going up to Nashville, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
This weekend’s tilts against Vanderbilt and No. 12 Kentucky will be the final road matches of the dual season for the Tigers.
 
____
Contact Hunt Palmert at [email protected]