BATON ROUGE — The sixth-ranked LSU men’s tennis team begins defense of its Southeastern Conference title on Wednesday when it faces No. 14 Mississippi State at 2 p.m. in Baton Rouge.
It marks the second consecutive season the Tigers have began conference play against the Bulldogs. Last year, LSU upset then- No. 3 Mississippi State 4-3 in Starkville, Miss.
“Mississippi State is always a tough match for us,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “The fact that it is the first conference match makes it that much more important. We need to get off to a good start in the SEC.”
LSU will be led into the match by seniors Tom Hand, ranked No. 21, and Michal Chmela, ranked No. 27.
The Tigers doubles line up should also be a factor, having won the point awarded for doubles in 20 consecutive matches.
“Doubles has become a big key for us the past couple of seasons. It has helped us build momentum going into singles in most
matches,” said Brown.
LSU is riding an eight-match home winning streak and a seven-match SEC winning streak, both dating back to last season.