Men's Tennis Starts NCAA Play vs. Alcorn St.
BATON ROUGE — The No. 15-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will open the NCAA Tournament Friday at 10 a.m. when it battles Alcorn State at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Following LSU’s match, the Conference USA Champion No. 17-ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane (19-6, 2-0 C-USA) will battle the No. 45-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores (10-12, 4-7 SEC) at 1 p.m.
The winner of the two matches will meet Saturday at noon, with the regional winner advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The round of 16 will begin play on Thursday, May 17.
“We won’t be changing much heading into the NCAA Tournament,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “We are going about our business the same way we have all year. I feel our guys had a strong showing in the SEC Tournament and they understand we can’t take anyone lightly. We know the Braves are going to be on the top of their game and we are anxious to get underway.”
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students (with valid ID.) Tickets may be purchased at the southwest corner of Robinson Stadium. The ticket office will open 1.5 hours prior to the first match.
The previous two times (1999, 2000) the Tigers (16-6, 7-4 SEC) and Braves (12-7, 6-2 SWAC) faced off were also in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and both times LSU hosted. LSU won each contest by a 4-0 score.
The Tigers hold a 24-23 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. LSU has reached the tournament 23 times, which ranks second in the SEC behind Georgia (28.) LSU was bounced from the tournament last season by Minnesota, 4-2, in the first round. Brown has brought the Tigers to the tournament each year he has led the team and reached the semifinals in his first two years (98′, 99′.)
The Braves are led by head coach Anthony Dodgen. Alcorn State earned its automatic bid by defeating Prairie View A&M, 4-2, in the finals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Tigers have grown accustomed to hosting an event as they hosted the SEC Coaches Indoor Championships in January and the conference tournament in April.
“Hosting has allowed our players to make little changes to their routines and has increased their comfort level. We have played well at home this season but we still have to go out this weekend and get the job done.”
LSU’s newcomer Jan Zelezny has been dominant at Robinson Stadium this season. The 6-foot junior boasts a 12-2 record at the “Dub.” Zelezny has compiled a 20-11 record this season.
The Tigers hope to continue their strong doubles play in the tournament. The Tigers have swept the doubles portion 10 times this season. Additionally, the Tigers have won the doubles point in 17 of their 22 matches. The duos of Danny Bryan and Colt Gaston, and James Cluskey and Ken Skupski have both notched twenty wins this season. Bryan and Gaston have won 32 of their last 35 matches. Cluskey and Skupski have won five of their last six.
LSU’s co-captains, Bryan and Skupski, continue to climb LSU’s singles all-time win list. Skupski sits at No. 4 on the list with 101 victories. Bryan has totaled 83 wins during his career, which places him tied for 17th with former tiger Michal Chmela.