NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off back-to-back conference losses the 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team stepped up its singles play and earned a hard fought, 4-3, win over SEC East rival Vanderbilt on Sunday.
LSU (9-6, 2-2 SEC) evened its conference record and split its weekend road trip. Three of the Tigers last four losses have come by, 4-3, scores, but Sunday it was LSU who found a way to win the deciding match to clinch the victory.
“It always takes something special to win an SEC match,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “A lot of times it takes someone to play a special match and that is what happened today.”
That special performance came in the form of a three set, match clinching win by Tiger junior Ken Skupski. After dropping the first set to Vanderbilt’s 55th-ranked Ryan Preston, Skupski found himself down 4-5 in the second set. The Tigers’ No. 1 singles player battled off two match points eventually taking the second set, 7-6 (5), in a tiebreaker and sowing up the win, 6-4, in the third set.
Skupski wouldn’t have found himself in the position to close out the match, except for solid performances by two of the Tigers’ other upperclassman. After LSU swept the doubles matches and took an early lead it found itself in a dogfight in the singles competition.
While the rest of their teammates faltered early and dropped their first sets, senior Mark Growcott and junior team captain Danny Bryan came through with dominating performances.
Growcott continued to play well since moving down to the No. 3 spot. After Colt Gaston fell to the Commodores’ Evan Defaux on court two, Growcott took out Vanderbilt’s Andy Mack, 6-2, 6-2, in straight sets.
Bryan was equally impressive knocking off Nathan Sachs, 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot and putting LSU up 3-1.
Vanderbilt (5-9, 0-4 SEC) earned straight set wins on courts five and six to tie the match at three all before Skupski ended the rally.
The importance of the win, even against a struggling Vanderbilt team, was not lost on coach Brown.
“A win is a win, especially in the SEC,” said Brown. “All you have to do is look around the conference and see some of the upsets that have happened to know that every team in the conference has the points to beat you on any day.”
The Tigers will return to Baton Rouge and W. T. Robinson Tennis Stadium this week. LSU is scheduled to face Texas A&M at 2 p.m. Thursday, before taking on in state rival UL-Lafayette on Sunday.
#17 LSU 4, Vanderbilt 3
Currey Tennis Center, Nashville, Tenn.
March 12, 2006
Singles
1. Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Ryan Preston (Vandy) 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4
2. Evan Defaux (Vandy) def. Colt Gaston (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Mark Growcott (LSU) def. Andy Mack (Vandy) 6-3, 6-3
4. Danny Bryan (LSU) def. Nathan Sachs (Vandy) 6-1, 6-2
5. Nik Cromydas (Vandy) def. James Cluskey (LSU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Jordan Magarik (Vandy) def. Paul White (LSU) 7-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. Skupski/Growcott def. Defaux/Mack 8-3
2. Gaston/Bryan def. Preston/Sachs 8-5
3. White Cluskey def. Cromydas/Magarik 8-5