NEW ORLEANS — Many of the best college tennis players in the country will kick off their years beginning Thursday in the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships here at the Hilton Riverside Racquet Club.
All 12 Southeastern Conference teams will be represented in the final tournament before the dual season begins. Nine of those teams were ranked in the top-25 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings released Tuesday, including No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss.
“This is one of the most competitive tournaments that will be played this year outside the NCAA individual championships and the ITA All-American tournament,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown.
No. 12-ranked LSU will serve as the host school for the tournament and has eight singles players and four doubles teams in competition.
LSU sophomore Ken Skupski earned a third seed. Skupski and junior M.ark Growcott are the No. 1 seed in the doubles bracket.
Tiger senior Jason Hazley earned the No. 16 seed in the singles bracket and a sixth seed in the doubles bracket with sophomore Danny Bryan, who will be playing in his hometown.
The draw features 66 singles players and 30 doubles teams. The singles draw includes preseason No. 3-ranked Jesse Witten of Kentucky as the first seed, followed by preseason No. 4 Hamid Mirzadeh of Florida.
“This is an excellent tune up for all the teams in the tournament,” Brown said. “It sets the stage for SEC dual match competition and gives teams a jump on preparation for the National Team Indoors next month.”
This is the last individual tournament for the Tigers until the NCAA Championships in May. Admission to the event is free. Matches will be played through the weekend with the singles and doubles championships on Monday.