BATON ROUGE — The 26th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team’s four-match win streak will be tested Sunday when it hosts second-ranked Ohio State at noon in W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
The LSU marketing and promotions department will be out in full force for the contest by handing out LSU rally towels before the match. There will also be a chance for a fan to win an LSU prize pack between singles and doubles.
The Tigers (8-3, 2-2 SEC) defeated the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday, 5-2, for their fourth-straight win. All eight of LSU’s wins this season have come at the “Dub.”
Ohio State (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten) picked up two solid victories this past weekend against Iowa, 7-0, and Minnesota, 6-1. The Buckeyes’ only loss this season came against the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers.
The Buckeyes are the eighth nationally-ranked team the Tigers have faced this season and fifth in the top 25. LSU is 4-3 against nationally-ranked teams this season.
The Tigers will be out for revenge Sunday as the Buckeyes gave the Tigers their first and last loss of the season a year ago. The Buckeyes first defeated the Tigers in the regular season by a 4-2 score. The Buckeyes later ended the Tigers’ season in the NCAA round of 16, 4-0. LSU leads the all-time series with a 5-3 mark.
“We continue to improve through the course of the season,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “If I had to pick a time where we had to face a top team this would be it. Ohio State has done a great job on the road this year, particularly with its win at Ole Miss. We know they are a very capable team. We are not na?ve to how good they are. We look forward to continuing the series with this new rival for years to come.”
LSU has been dominant at home this season. In singles, LSU has won 40 of its 45 matches in Baton Rouge, including going undefeated on courts one, five and six.
Freshman Sebastian Carlsson has been LSU’s most consistent singles weapon with a 20-5 record and a five-match win streak. At home, the two-time SEC Freshman of the Week is 8-0 without losing a set.
Senior Captain Kevin Dessauer is 9-0 in dual play and has only lost four sets during that stretch.
LSU’s No. 1 singles player Michael Venus is listed at No. 86 in the national rankings and owns three wins against ranked opponents this season.
Robinson Stadium has served well for LSU in doubles as well as the Tigers are 21-2 at home and hold an unblemished 8-0 mark on court three. The LSU doubles teams of James Cluskey and Michael Venus (7-0), and Carlsson and Dessauer (4-0) are undefeated at the “Dub.”
Head coach Ty Tucker is in his ninth season in leading the Buckeyes. Three Ohio State singles players and one doubles team are listed in the national rankings. Ohio State’s top singles player, Justin Kronauge, is listed at No. 7 in the singles rankings. Buckeyes Bryan Koniecko and Steven Moenke are listed at No. 29 and No. 34, respectfully.
The doubles pair of Kronauge and Drew Eberly is listed at No. 8 in national rankings.