BATON ROUGE — The 19th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team looks to pick up its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season on Saturday, as the Tigers host the Vanderbilt Commodores at 1 p.m. in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“Vanderbilt is a very talented team,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They are a very hungry team and are looking to get some more respect in the SEC.
We are going to have to come out with a lot of fire and intensity tomorrow to come away with a win.”
LSU heads into Saturday’s dual match with an overall record of 6-2 and an 0-1 mark against conference opponents. the Tigers fell to 18th-ranked Mississippi State in the team’s SEC opener, 5-2, on the road in Starkville, Miss.
The Commodores are currently the 41st-ranked team in the nation and possess a 6-3 dual-match record. In SEC play, Vanderbilt dropped its first-two contests on the road versus both Arkansas and No.7 Tennessee. The Commodores fell to Arkansas, 4-2, and Tennesse, 6-1, to equal an 0-2 conference record.
In the Tigers’ most recent match, the men’s tennis team outlasted both the rain and Southern Miss on thursday. LSU handily defeated the Golden Eagles, 6-1, after a two-hour long rain delay. Vanderbilt was also victorious in its previous match. the Commodores eased by Furman, 5-2, on Monday in an in-state battle at home in Knoxville, Tenn.
Saturday’s dual match is the first of a seven-match road trip for the Commodores. Vanderbilt will make trips to Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State before finally hosting Alabama at home on March 24. the Tigers have a similar road schedule ahead of them as they will be on the road for five-straight contests beginning on March 27 at Auburn.
“Vandy could definitely cause some problems for our team if they don’t come ready to play tomorrow,” Brown said. “their No. 1 singles player just knocked off the top-ranked player in the nation the other day, and they also have some very talented junior players. Our team is going to have to step it up and play hard in the singles round.”
Vanderbilt’s 74th-ranked Eddie Coates has accumulated an overall record of 13-9 this year including a straight-set victory over the nation’s No. 1 ranked Oskar Johansson. Coates’ 7-5, 6-3, win over Johansson was not enough for the Commodores though as Vanderbilt dropped its first-SEC match of the season to Arkansas, 4-2.
The Tigers will be led by 8th-ranked Ajay Ramaswami and 85th-ranked Jesse Smatt in Saturday’s match versus Vanderbilt.
Ramaswami looks to end a two-match losing streak with a win over Coates on court No. 1, while Smatt will try to improve upon his 16-7 overall record in either the No. 2 or 3 singles position.
The 19th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will host the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.