LEXINGTON, Ky. — The LSU men’s tennis team will continue its fall schedule by taking part in the Southeast Regional ITA Fall Championships this weekend.
The single-elimination tournament will be held from Friday through Sunday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. All the Tigers competing in the singles portion have qualified for the main draw of the tournament which begins at 2 p.m. Friday.
“A few of the guys feel like they have something to prove this weekend because they haven’t had the results they were hoping for so far this fall,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said.
Seven Tigers will be competing this weekend including seniors Danny Bryan, Eric DeRoche and Ken Skupski, juniors Martel Campbell, Kevin Dessauer and Jan Zelezny, and sophomore James Cluskey.
At least five Tigers will be competing against SEC opponents in the main draw. Cluskey will face the stiffest competition as he takes on No. 5-ranked Travis Helgeson from Georgia at 3 p.m. Campbell and Zelezny will also be playing against Bulldogs at 3 p.m., as they face Chris Motes and Ricardo Gonzales respectively. Skupski will battle Florida’s Dan Cash at 8 p.m. and Dessauer will face Auburn’s Hunter Mills at 9:30 p.m.
In other singles action, Bryan will take on Florida A&M’s Clifford Malivert at 5 p.m. DeRoche’s opponent will be set after the qualifying matches finish Friday afternoon.
Brown said he will mix up his normal pairings for the doubles portion of the tournament. Bryan will team with Zelezny, Campbell with DeRoche and Cluskey with Dessauer. Brown hopes the new tandems will gain experience they can use down the road.
“You never know what doubles combinations you will end up with during the season,” Brown commented. “It is important that they do well together in case they are ever in position to play each other.”
Bryan and Zelezny will face fellow SEC tandem James Moye and Nathan Sachs from Vanderbilt at 9 p.m. Cluskey and Dessauer will face off against Birmingham Southern’s Mauricio Engler and Richard Walsh at 11 p.m. Campbell and DeRoche will also compete at 11 p.m. as they face Alabama’s Dan Buikema and Matt Thibaudeau.
With a win in singles or doubles in this single-elimination tournament, the Tigers will advance to the second round which begins Saturday at 9 a.m.
2006 Wilson/ITA Region III Indoor Tournament
Main Draw Schedule
October 20, 2006
Singles
Round of 128
James Cluskey (LSU) vs. # 5 (1) Travis Helgeson (UGA), 3 p.m.
#12 (3) Ken Skupski vs. Dan Cash (UF), 8 p.m.
Jan Zelezny (LSU) vs. Ricardo Gonzales (UGA), 3 p.m.
# 101 (20) Danny Bryan (LSU) vs.Clifford Malivert (FAM), 5 p.m.
Eric DeRoche (LSU) vs. TBA
Martel Campbell (LSU) vs. Chris Motes (UGA), 3 p.m.
Kevin Dessauer (LSU) vs. Hunter Mills (AU), 9:30 p.m.
Doubles
Round of 64
Danny Bryan/Jan Zelezny (LSU) vs. James Moye/Nathan Sachs (VU), 9 p.m.
James Cluskey/Kevin Dessauer (LSU) vs. Mauricio Engler/Richard Walsh (BSC), 11 p.m.
Martel Campbell vs. Eric DeRoche (LSU) vs. Dan Buikema/Thibaudeau (UA), 10 p.m.
#National ranking (Tournament seed)