CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Michael Venus of the LSU men’s tennis team ended his fall campaign with a 7-1 record as he fell to No. 6 Arnau Brugues on Friday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Virginia.
The 6-3 LSU senior entered the ITA preseason rankings at No. 20 as well as captured the 2008 D’Novo/ ITA All-American crown in October to begin his senior career. Venus earned seven wins over ranked opponents during the Tigers fall season, including a victory over No. 1 Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State in his run for the D’Novo/ITA All-American title.
Tulsa’s Arnau Brugues, singles champion of the ITA Central Region Championships, defeated Venus 6-1 in the first set. The No. 6 player in the country advanced over Venus after a second set mark of 6-2.
“Even though Michael didn’t finish the fall the way he wanted to, he still can take a lot away from what he was able to accomplish,” LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan said. “He is now looking forward to representing the United States in the International University Challenge of Tennis in December.”
Venus will travel to Poiters, France, as a representative for the first U.S. team to compete in the international tournament scheduled for Dec. 4-7.
ITA National Indoor Championships
November 6-9, 2008
Charlottesville, Va.
Nov. 7
Singles
Round of 16
#6 Arnau Brugues (Tulsa) def. #20 Michael Venus (LSU), 6-1, 6-2