ATHENS, Ga. — The LSU men’s tennis team travels to square off against third-ranked Georgia in a 5 p.m. match on Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
LSU (6-6, 1-3 SEC) returns to action after splitting last week’s competition between two nationally-ranked opponents. The Tigers defeated former 27th-ranked University of South Florida, 4-3, on March 18 in Baton Rouge before traveling to take on a then 15th-ranked Texas A&M on March 21. Although the Tigers elevated their play against the No. 15 team, LSU fell just short of their second upset of the week as the Aggies posted a 4-3 mark over the Tigers.
“We have been continuing to improve and have made progress every week,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “Georgia is one of the top teams in the nation and has had a very good year. For us to win here, we have to play are best. With our improvements, we are in position to give them our best shot before we come home to face Tennessee on Sunday.”
Last year as the two teams faced off on the Tigers’ home courts, LSU clinched the doubles point against Georgia, but the Bulldogs managed to pull away in singles, leaving with a final 4-2 mark.
Georgia (14-2) is currently on a 56-match home win streak and has two losses on the season against Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss and the University of Virginia.
Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs feature a variety of nationally-ranked players. LSU’s Michael Venus leads the rankings on the court as the No. 9 player in the nation with Georgia’s Nate Schnugg trailing closely behind at No. 10. In addition to Schnugg, Georgia holds No. 71 Jaime Hunt and No. 73 Javier Garrapiz.
In doubles, each team has a nationally-ranked duo. Georgia’s Hunt and Schnugg combine to make the No. 7 team while LSU’s Venus and freshman partner Neal Skupski rank in at No. 12. The two duos faced each other at the SEC Coaches’ Indoor earlier this year where Venus and Skupski overcame then 40th-ranked Hunt and Schnugg with an 8-6 mark en route to the finals. Once at the finals, the newly paired Tiger tandem fell to Tennessee’s Davey Sandgren and J.P. Smith, 8-5.
After competition against Georgia, LSU will continue SEC play on Sunday against No. 5 Tennessee on the Tigers’ home courts at 1 p.m. in W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.