KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The LSU men’s tennis team felt the fatigue of playing two consecutive 8 a.m. matches against top-20 opponents on Friday, as the Tigers were knocked out of the Southeastern Conference Tournament by the 15th-ranked Auburn Tigers, 4-0, here at the UT Varsity Courts in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Auburn played way too well today in singles play and we had our chances in doubles, which would have been such a boost for us, because their doubles are so tough,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They came out and looked really sharp and we looked flat. They earned the right to have a bye yesterday and we had to play, but that’s what they deserve for having a good regular season. They (Auburn) just played too well.”
With the loss, LSU dropped to an overall record of 10-13 on the season and fell for the second-consecutive season in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament. Last season, the Tigers were upset by a resurgent Alabama team, 4-1.
The third-seeded Auburn Tigers upped their overall record on the season to 16-6 and advanced to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament. The Plainsmen will face either second-seeded Ole Miss or seventh-seeded Kentucky on Saturday at 10 a.m.
After receiving an opening-round bye, Auburn came out against the Tigers looking both fresh and rested on Friday. The War Eagles earned the doubles point and then rallied for three-straight wins in singles to record the 4-0 victory. Auburn was victorious on court No. 5, No. 6 and No. 4 where Mark Kovacs clinched the win by rallying past LSU’s Sebastian Rutka, 6-1, 6-3.
Auburn took an early 1-0 advantage in Friday’s quarterfinal round match by winning the all-important doubles point. The War Eagles have been one of the most dominant doubles teams in the nation this season and have accumulated a 15-3 mark after gaining the opening advantage.
The War Eagles’ 16th-ranked doubles combination of Rameez Junaid and Tiago Ruffoni frustrated LSU’s pair of Dan Kiernan and Jason Hazley, 8-1, on court No. 1, while Auburn’s 32nd-ranked duo of Andrew Columbo and Kovacs clinched the point with an 8-5 victory over the Tigers’ tandem of Rutka and Cory Ross. With the win, Columbo/Kovacs improved to a 17-3 mark on the season.
The LSU men’s tennis team will next be in action in the 2002 NCAA Tournament beginning on May 11. The draws have not yet been determined by the league and the NCAA committee will announce the 64 teams on Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m.
#15 Auburn 4, LSU 0
Doubles
1. #16 Junaid/Ruffoni (AU) def. Kiernan/Hazley (LSU), 8-1
2. #32 Columbo/Kovacs (AU) def. Rutka/Ross (LSU), 8-5*
3. Fisher/Brandon Nicholson (LSU) vs. Andre Boz/Strecker (AU), suspended
Singles
1. #51 Dan Kiernan (LSU) vs. #18 Rameez Junaid (AU), suspended
2. Peter Richman (LSU) vs. #68 Andrew Colombo (AU), suspended
3. Jason Hazley (LSU) vs. #52 Tiago Ruffoni (AU), suspended
4. Mark Kovacs (AU) def. Sebastian Rutka (LSU), 6-1, 6-3*
5. Mark Van Elden (AU) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
6. Estavam Strecker (AU) def. Cory Ross (LSU), 6-2, 6-1
Overall Records: Auburn 16-6, LSU 10-13