KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The LSU women’s tennis team will face its Southeastern Conference rival 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Tennessee is definitely a tough team to beat, especially on the road,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We have been playing some great tennis lately, and if we play the way that we did against Kentucky, then I think we should be able to get a win.”
The Lady Tigers enter Sunday’s contest in the midst of a three-match winning streak. During the streak LSU defeated Southern Methodist, as well as SEC foes Alabama and 23rd-ranked Kentucky. The Lady Tigers were victorious over both SMU and Alabama by the score of 8-1, and beat Kentucky 6-3.
LSU’s overall record is 10-5 this season and 2-4 in conference play.
Tennessee will attempt to end a two-match losing streak at home against LSU. The Volunteers lost on the road last week to third-ranked Wake Forest, 7-2, and 24th-ranked Texas, 6-3. Tennessee has an overall record of 11-7 while maintaining a 2-1 mark versus SEC opponents.
The Lady Tigers have been victorious against the Volunteers since the end of the 1997 season. In 1998, LSU narrowly defeated Tennessee, 5-4, on the road, and last season the Lady Tigers kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with another 5-4 upset of the Volunteers in Baton Rouge.
“Last season’s win over Tennessee was vital in our making the tournament,” Minnis said. “In that match we played some of the best tennis that I have seen our team play, and we have to play that way again tomorrow in order to win.”
The match between the LSU Lady Tigers and the 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.