NOTE: Matches have been delayed until noon CST due to rain in Tallahassee.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The 29th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will square off against 19th-ranked Louisville at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend hosted at Florida State’s Scott Speicher Tennis Center on Friday.
The meeting will be the first between the two teams, and the first match of the dual season for LSU. The dual match will be the fourth for Louisville, which began its season on Jan. 16 and has posted wins over IUPUI, Murray State and 62nd-ranked East Tennessee State.
Several nationally-ranked singles players will take the court for the matchup. For LSU, 26th-ranked Neal Skupski will lead the Tigers into action with a 10-5 overall record. No. 97 Sebastian Carlsson ranks second on the team and holds a 10-4 singles record in tournament competition.
For Louisville, No. 46 Austen Childs will lead the Cardinals with an 8-6 record, followed by No. 81 Andrew Carter at 10-7 and No. 84 Simon Childs also at 10-7.
“We are looking to work on the things we can control in this match,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “I feel like our preparation is good, and we’ve been paying attention to the little details like the physicality and emotional aspects of the game. We are building a positive attitude in everything that we do.”
The Tigers bounce into action against the Cardinals at 10 a.m. CDT. Should LSU defeat Louisville, the team will advance to the second round of competition against either 13th-ranked Florida State or 32nd-ranked Wisconsin.
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Jan. 29-30, 2010
Tallahassee, Fla.
Scott Speicher Tennis Center
All Times Central
Jan. 29
#29 LSU vs. #19 Louisville, 10 a.m.