Men's Tennis Set for NCAA Rematch with No. 2 Ohio St.
ATHENS, Ga. — The No. 15-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will square off with No. 2 Ohio State in the NCAA round of 16 Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex hosted by the University of Georgia.
The Tigers (18-6) and Buckeyes (29-1) met earlier this season, Feb. 24, where the Buckeyes squeezed by with a 4-2 score. The Tigers reached the round of 16 by knocking off Alcorn State and Vanderbilt, each by a 4-0 score in the first and second round.
The Buckeyes advanced to the round of 16 by taking out Ivy-League Champion Columbia, 4-0, in the first round and knocking out Tennessee, 4-1, in the second round.
LSU leads the all-time series against Ohio State with a 5-2 record.
“You can feel the intensity level rising as the match gets closer,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “We have had some great practices so far. I am just keeping the guys focused to make sure they don’t get ahead of themselves. This is the best we have played all season, so tomorrow should be a great match.”
The winner will face either Illinois or Ole Miss in the quarterfinals. LSU faced both teams earlier this season. LSU beat Illinois in thrilling fashion, 4-3, on March 20 in Baton Rouge and lost a hard fought match, 4-3, at Ole Miss on March 30.
LSU holds a 26-23 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have reached the tournament 24 times, which ranks second in the Southeastern Conference behind Georgia (29.)
LSU is one of five SEC teams in the round of 16. Alabama will play in the first time slot at 8 a.m. against Baylor. Ole Miss and Illinois will face each other at 11 a.m., while Georgia and Florida square off at 5 p.m.
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′).
This season marks the sixth time in Brown’s ten years as coach that the Tigers have reached the round of 16.
Under head coach Ty Tucker, the Buckeyes boast an impressive 29-1 record this season. Their only loss came against No. 1 Georgia in the finals of the ITA Team Indoor Championships in February.
The Buckeyes defended their Big Ten Tournament title in April by defeating Illinois in the final. The Buckeyes were also the 2007 regular-season league champions.
NCAA Round of 16 Schedule
Thursday, May 17
Athens, Ga.
Match 1: (3) Baylor def. Alabama, 4-0
Match 2: NC State def. (11) Texas, 4-3
Match 3: (15) LSU vs. (2) Ohio State, 11 a.m.
Match 4: (10) Illinois vs. (7) Ole Miss, 11 a.m.
Match 5: (4) Virginia vs. (13) Wake Forest, 2 p.m.
Match 6: (5) Notre Dame vs. (12) USC, 2 p.m.
Match 7: (1) Georgia vs. Florida, 5 p.m.
Match 8: (8) Oklahoma St. vs. (9) UCLA, 5 p.m.
Quarterfinal Schedule
May 19, 2007
Match 9: (3) Baylor vs. NC State, 8 a.m.
Match 10: Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner, 11 a.m.
Match 11: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner, 2 p.m.
Match 12: Match 7 Winner vs. Match 8 Winner, 5 p.m.