BATON ROUGE – The No. 20-ranked LSU men’s tennis team faces its biggest challenge so far this season on Tuesday at 1 p.m. when it takes on the No.30-ranked Rice Owls at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
The Tigers (4-0) look to avenge their 2004 loss to the Owls, which ended the Tigers’ season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Baton Rouge.
“Rice is a very talented team and no mater how much success they reach this season, I won’t be surprised,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “They can compete with the best of the best. They are capable of great things and we look forward to the challenge. Being able to play them this early in the season is great for our team.”
The Tigers have not lost a singles or doubles match during the dual season. Additionally, the Tigers have won all 43 singles sets that finished during their four matches.
LSU has two of the top doubles teams in the SEC. The No. 3 ranked team of Ken Skupski and partner James Cluskey lead the team with 10 doubles victories. Danny Bryan and Colt Gaston own a 17-match winning streak dating back to last season. The Tiger tandem won the SEC Indoor Doubles Championship in January. Both teams are expected to be ranked highly when the individual rankings are released Tuesday.
Rice, of Conference USA, holds a 6-2 record this season, including wins over No. 25 Minnesota and No. 69 Vanderbilt. Rice is coached by Ron Smarr, who is in his 10th year in leading the Owls. Smarr boasts a 167-86 record as the Rice head coach.
The Owls hold a 16-7-2 all-time record against the Tigers.