KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 21st-ranked LSU men’s tennis team looks to pick up its first road victory of the season on Friday as the Tigers challenge the Tennessee Volunteers at 3 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Tennessee is still a very strong team after losing their top three players from last year,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They’ve still been able to compete well against some very good teams and we are going to have to play very well to beat them. They still have a strong doubles lineup and they’ve been able to pick up some huge wins at the top of their singles lineup.”
LSU heads into Friday’s conference matchup with 7-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark against SEC opponents. Last week, the Tigers competed in their first conference road trip of the season and came up empty against both No. 14 South Carolina, 4-3, and second-ranked Florida, 7-0.
The LSU men’s tennis team owns an 0-3 record away from Baton Rouge this season after the Tigers also dropped a hard-fought contest against the 12th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 5-2, on the road in College Station, Texas.
All four of LSU’s losses during the 2003 dual-match season have been registered versus opponents ranked among the top 15. The Tigers have been defeated by No. 2 Florida, No. 11 Alabama, No. 12 Texas A&M, and the 14th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.
Tennessee also comes into Friday’s contest with a 1-3 conference record.
Last week, the Volunteers breezed by Alabama, 4-1, but fell at home to Auburn, 5-2. Tennessee’s loss to Auburn in Knoxville, Tenn., dropped the Volunteers’ 2003 home record to 7-2.
In last season’s annual matchup between the two SEC opponents, Tennessee defeated the Tigers 5-2 in Baton Rouge.
“We’re a better team this year as far as chemistry goes and we’ve been seeing some very good improvement,” Brown said. “Our tennis has been getting better, and right now it’s getting to the point where I believe that we can go out and compete with any team in the nation.”
With a victory against Tennessee on Friday, LSU’s Brown will become only the third head coach in Tiger history to reach the 100-win plateau. Brown, in his sixth season at the helm of the LSU men’s tennis program, currently possesses 99 career victories and trails only LSU’s legendary coaches Jerry Simmons and W.T. “Dub” Robinson.
The 21st-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will attempt to win its first road match of the season on Friday as the Tigers invade the UT Tennis Courts at 3 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.