STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 13-ranked LSU men’s tennis team hopes to make a weekend split when it travels to Starkville Sunday to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 1 p.m.
The Tigers (12-4, 4-3 SEC) had a tough outing Friday when they fell to the No.10-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, 4-3. The Bulldogs (6-9, 3-4 SEC) are coming off its third-straight victory Friday, when they defeated Arkansas, 4-3.
“Mississippi State is a very good team and has started to turn its season around,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “We know we have to play a complete match to get a win in Starkville.”
The 4-3 loss to the Rebels was one of many close matches the Tigers have had this season. Six of LSU’s matches this season have been decided by one point, with the Tigers winning four of them.
The Tigers hold an impressive 40-15-1 all-time record against the Bulldogs. The two teams split last season’s meetings with the Tigers winning the regular season match, 7-0, but the Bulldogs retaliated by knocking the Tigers out of the SEC Tournament, 4-2.
Senior Ken Skupski continues to climb the LSU career singles wins list. Against the Rebels, Skupski defeated the No. 15-ranked Erling Tveit for the 99th of his career. The Liverpool, England native is tied for 5th on the career win list and is one win away from tying head coach Brown for 4th place. The team’s other co-captain, Danny Bryan, is 20th on the career win list.
Junior Kevin Dessauer has been a key ingredient for the Tigers’ success this season. The New Orleans native has maintained his hold on the four spot by compiling 19 wins this season, including seven of his last 10 matches.
The Bulldogs are led by head coach Sylvain Guichard, who is in his sixth season in leading the team. Ivan Bjelica is the only Bulldog in individual rankings, as he is listed at No. 39 in singles.