UPDATE: Match has been postponed until Wednesday at noon due to scattered showers in the Baton Rouge area.
BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s tennis match against the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers has been postponed to Wednesday at noon CST due to scattered rain in the Baton Rouge area on Tuesday.
The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m., but was moved up a day to try and get the match in before the rain started on Tuesday. Although the rain stopped for a couple hours and crews dried the courts off, the scattered showers persisted and prevented the courts from being playable due to the wet conditions.
For up-to-date information about the match fans are encouraged to follow the Tigers on Twitter @lsutennis and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.
Fans unable to attend Wednesday’s match can view live stats at www.LSUSports.net/livestats.
Original Match Advance
BATON ROUGE – After a tough five-match road swing, the LSU men’s tennis team returns home to square-off against the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers at noon CST at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.
The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, but was moved up a day due to the possibility of rain in the Baton Rouge area.
The Tigers (4-6) are undefeated at home this season, but have not played at the “Dub” since a Feb. 8 double-header against UL-Lafayette and the University of New Orleans. The Cavaliers (14-0) haven’t competed since Feb. 21, when they swept No. 2 Tennessee 4-0 to win the ITA National Indoor Championships in Seattle, Wash.
“Virginia is certainly the best team in the nation right now after winning the ITA Indoor Championships,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “The guys are excited to finally be back at home, and there will be some great tennis players on the court tomorrow. It will be an exciting match.”
Virginia has held the No. 1 spot in the rankings all season long, and they have already taken down six Top 35 teams this season. No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 12 Kentucky, No. 23 Washington, and No. 35 Virginia Tech have all fallen victim to the Cavaliers in 2011.
Six Cavaliers are ranked in the ITA singles poll, including freshman Alex Domijan who is ranked second in the nation. LSU junior Neal Skupski, who is ranked 69th, will square-off against Domijan on Court 1.
Virginia senior Michael Shabaz is tabbed 10th in the nation, followed by No. 18 Sanam Singh. Drew Courtney enters the match with a No. 30 billing, while 31st-ranked Jarmere Jenkins and No 85 Julen Urgiuen round out the Cavs in the singles polls.
In doubles, the 17th-ranked Tiger Tandem of Skupski and senior Sebastian Carlsson will face-off against the No. 2 ranked Cavalier duo of Courtney and Shabaz at the top doubles spot. Skupski and Carlsson have won eight of their last nine doubles matches, including taking down the then-top ranked Texas A&M pair Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo on Feb. 27.
This will only be the second all-time meeting between the two teams, with the first time coming last year when then-No. 1 Virginia shut out LSU 7-0 in Charlottesville, Va.
Some rain is predicted in the late afternoon on Tuesday, in which case the match would be resumed on Wednesday if necessary.
Fans unable to attend the match can view the livestats at www.LSUSports.net/livestats.
For up-to-date information and behind the scenes access to the Tigers, fans can follow the LSU men’s team on Twitter @lsutennis and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.