BATON ROUGE — The 21st-ranked LSU men’s tennis team is prepared for a vital Southeastern Conference battle on Wednesday, as the Tigers face the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels at 2 p.m. in the final home match of the season at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“It’s always a traditional rivalry whenever we play Ole Miss,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “There’s a lot of bad blood between the two schools in every sport, but it’s more so in tennis. Both teams are always so highly ranked and our matches not only have a major effect on the SEC standings, but they have national implications as well.”
LSU heads into Wednesday’s contest with an overall record of 13-6 and a 6-4 mark against conference opponents. The Tigers were victorious in their previous match by recording a 5-2 win over 22nd-ranked Alabama in the final contest of a five-match road trip. With the win, LSU earned sole possession of the fourth-place position in the SEC.
The Rebels come into Baton Rouge with a 15-5 overall record and a half-game lead over the Tigers for the third-place spot in the conference standings.
Ole Miss owns a 6-3 mark in the SEC and defeated Florida, 6-1, at home in its most recent match. The Rebels have recorded wins in nine of their previous 11 matches including conference victories over Auburn, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Wednesday’s dual contest will also mark the final regular season home match for two vital components of the LSU tennis team as seniors Ajay Ramaswami and Jonathan Hurd make their final home appearance. Both Ramaswami and Hurd will be honored for their illustrious LSU careers during the break between doubles and singles play against Ole Miss.
“Both Ajay (Ramaswami) and Jon (Hurd) are very important parts of this team,” Brown said. “They are each great human beings as well as tennis players, and we could not be where we are today without them. The entire team is going to miss them each a lot.
“Ajay is a very intelligent tennis player and his is one of the highest ranked players that we’ve had in a while,” Brown added. “His speed and hard ground-strokes have been a plus for us this year and he’s done a great job at No. 1 singles. Jon is one of the most loyal Tiger players that we’ve ever had in this program, and his positive attitude and love of the game gives us a boost day in and day out. He has an extensive knowledge of the game and he’s almost like having another assistant coach on the team.”
In last season’s annual match-up against Ole Miss, the Tigers slaughtered the Rebels, 6-1, on the road in Oxford, Miss. With the win, LSU improved its overall record on the season to 14-2 and added its 41st victory of all time versus Ole Miss. The Tigers lead the all-time series with the Rebels, 41-5.
The 21st-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will host the 11th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, as the Tigers close out the regular season at home in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.