CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 18th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team gave Drake its first loss of the season Friday afternoon by claiming a 4-1 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Atkins Tennis Center.
LSU (15-8) will now face 15th-ranked Illinois (19-8) Saturday at 2 p.m. CT in the second round. The Illini defeated Xavier in the first round by a 4-0 mark. The winner of their match will advance to the NCAA Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla., May 16-20.
The Tigers and Illini squared off in Champaign earlier this season with the Illini picking up a 6-1 victory. The Illini reached the finals of the NCAA Championships last season.
The win improves LSU’s all-time NCAA Tournament record to 27-24 and marks the ninth time the Tigers have advanced to the second round in the 11 years Brown has been head coach.
“Drake was a good test for us and they played with a lot of energy,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “They are not use to losing so they played extremely hard. We gained the early momentum with the doubles point and gained early leads on most of the singles courts. I give them a lot of credit for their competiveness. I am proud of how prepared our guys were for today’s match.”
The Tigers quickly claimed the doubles point on courts one and two.
The LSU senior pair of Kevin Dessauer and Colt Gaston held the lead throughout its match on court two against Ricardo Lau and Bokang Setshogo. The Tiger tandem went on to win by an 8-2 mark.
The Drake pair of Dalibor Pavic and Maor Zinkin held a slim 2-1 lead in the early goings on court one against the junior pair of James Cluskey and Michael Venus. The LSU duo stole the momentum as it only relinquished one game the rest of the way to capture an 8-3 victory. Cluskey and Venus own a team-best 15 wins this season.
The Tiger team of Sebastian Carlsson and Jan Zelezny held a 6-2 lead when LSU clinched the early point.
The Tigers have won the doubles point in 17 of their 23 matches.
In singles, the Bulldogs tied the score at 1-all by picking up a win on court two.
The Tigers retaliated by capturing victories on the bottom two courts.
Freshman Carlsson put the Tigers ahead 2-1 by breezing past Ivan Mendoza in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. The Sweden native has won six straight matches.
Cluskey owned his first set against Bokang by winning by a 6-0 mark. The second set would not go as easy for Cluskey but the Irishman overpowered Bokang and took the second set, 6-4, to give LSU a 3-1 advantage.
Freshman Julien Gauthier continued his strong postseason play by clinching the match for the Tigers with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Lau. The win is the Canadian’s 17th of the season.
“Facing a very good team like Illinois on its home court will be a tough match for us,” Brown commented. “We have won some good road matches this season. We faced them earlier this season and I know both teams have improved. We will need a special effort from each of our guys tomorrow.”
#18 LSU 4 def. #46 Drake 1
May 9, 2008 at Champaign, Ill.
Atkins Tennis Center
Singles
1. #26 Michael Venus (LSU) vs. #70 Dalibor Pavic (DRAKE) 7-5, 5-6, unfinished
2. Maor Zirkin (DRAKE) def. #106 Jan Zelezny (LSU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Kevin Dessauer (LSU) vs. Mauricio Ballivian (DRAKE) 6-1, 5-5, unfinished
4. Julien Gauthier (LSU) def. Ricardo Lau (DRAKE) 6-1, 6-2
5. James Cluskey (LSU) def. Bokang Setshogo (DRAKE) 6-0, 6-4
6. Sebastian Carlsson (LSU) def. Ivan Mendoza (DRAKE) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. #16 James Cluskey/Michael Venus (LSU) def. Dalibor Pavic/Maor Zirkin (DRAKE) 8-3
2. Kevin Dessauer/Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Ricardo Lau/Bokang Setshogo (DRAKE) 8-2
3. Sebastian Carlsson/Jan Zelezny (LSU) vs. Mauricio Ballivian/Ivan Mendoza (DRAKE) 6-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
Drake 24-1; National ranking #46
LSU 15-8; National ranking #18
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,6,5,4)