CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team is prepared to face one of the best tennis teams in the nation on Saturday, as the Tigers head to Champaign, Ill., for a non-conference battle with second-ranked Illinois.
“We’re going to have to play well at every position tomorrow,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “Our players are going to have to go into the match looking to dominate at every position and we will need to take advantage of their weaknesses, if they have any.”
LSU heads into Saturday’s dual match against Illinois with an overall record of 3-0. The Tigers notched early-season victories over Centenary, Southern and New Mexico at home in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium. Saturday’s match will mark LSU’s first road match of the 2002 season.
The Illini garnered the nation’s No. 2 ranking after upsetting the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, 4-3, at the ITA National Indoor Championships. With the win, Illinois advanced to face Stanford in the national championship match and fell short, 4-3, to finish the nationally acclaimed tournament as the runner-up.
Illinois owns a 4-1 overall record and will compete in its first home match since the Illini defeated Pepperdine, 5-2, on Feb. 2. Saturday’s match will be played indoors at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill., and will begin at 6 p.m.
“We are going to have to play really good indoor tennis against Illinois,” Brown said. “Indoor tennis requires a more aggressive style of play and we’ll need to show some added intensity and fire tomorrow.”
The Tigers lead in the all-time series against Illinois, 4-1, but dropped the last contest between the two schools. At the 2000 NCAA Championships, Illinois upset the higher ranked Tigers, 4-3, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will look to upset the second-ranked Illinois Illini on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Champaign, Ill.