LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 13th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team begins its trek for a third Southeastern Conference Tournament title on Friday, as the Fighting Tigers face the 17th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the second round of competition here at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Ky.
“We’re looking for a great effort from our guys tomorrow,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “Alabama is one of the hottest teams in the league right now and they are coming off of some huge wins over both Auburn and Florida. They handled a dangerous Florida team today, and that proves how well Alabama is playing right now.”
LSU heads into Friday’s dual-match contest with an overall record of 14-6 and a 7-4 mark against conference opponents. The Tigers are in the midst of a two-match winning streak and the team earned a 4-3 victory over 11th-ranked Ole Miss in its last match at home in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
The Crimson Tide enters the second round of the SEC tournament with an 18-8 overall record and a 6-6 mark against conference opponents. Alabama is the No. 6 seed in the tournament and rolled over No. 29 Florida on Thursday, 4-0, to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Earlier this year, in the regular season match-up between the two schools, LSU dropped the Crimson Tide, 5-2, on the road in Tuscaloosa, Ala. With the win, the Tigers improved to 13-6 on the season and upped their all-time series lead over Alabama to 32-18-1. The teams have never met in the SEC tournament.
“We are playing in the 9 a.m. match tomorrow morning,” Brown said. That’s by far the earliest match of the season for us and we’ve got to be ready. It’s tough to play that early, and we’ll need to find a way to manufacture some enthusiasm and get pumped up for a hard match against a good team.”
The 13th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team takes on the 17th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the second round of the SEC tournament on Friday at 9 a.m. in Lexington, Ky.