OXFORD, Miss. — The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team fell prey to its third top-10 ranked opponent of the season on Sunday as the Tigers were defeated by the fifth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, 5-1, at the Ole Miss Tennis Indoor Complex.
The match was moved indoors due to inclement weather in the Oxford, Miss., area and the doubles competition was not played in order to accommodate LSU’s travel plans.
With the win, Ole Miss improved to an overall record of 16-3 on the season and upped its Southeastern Conference mark to 8-2. The Rebels have already clinched their second straight SEC Western Division title and will face Mississippi State in their regular-season finale on April 12.
LSU fell to an 11-7 overall record on the season and dropped to 4-6 against conference opponents. Sunday’s match against No. 5 Ole Miss marked the third top-10 ranked team that the Tigers have faced this season after losing to both second-ranked Florida, 7-0, and the eighth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, 5-2.
Cory Ross earned LSU’s lone victory on Sunday as the Tigers’ junior from Littleton, Colo., breezed by Ole Miss’ Patrick Chucri on court No. 5. With the 6-1, 6-3 victory, Ross became the first Tiger to reach the 20-win plateau this season and upped his overall record to 20-10.
The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will next be in action on Thursday, April 10, as the Tigers play host to the No. 1-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini at 4 p.m. at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Admission is free to all LSU home tennis matches and refreshments will be provided by the Tiger Tennis Athletic Foundation.
#5 Ole Miss (16-3, 8-2 SEC) def. #17 LSU (11-7, 4-6 SEC), 5-1
Doubles
Were not played
Singles
1. #15 Alex Hartman (UM) def. Jason Hazley (LSU), 7-5, 7-5
2. #29 Paul Ciorascu (UM) def. #38 Peter Richman (LSU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
3. #21 Catalin Gard (UM) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
4. Claes Lindholm (UM) def. Sebastian Rutka (LSU), 6-4, 6-0*
5. Cory Ross (LSU) def. Patrick Chucri (UM), 6-1, 6-3
6. Karim Alayli (UM) def. Paul White (LSU), 7-5, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6
* Clinched the match