COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 45 ranked LSU men’s tennis team (3-0) faced off against No. 33 San Diego (0-1) in the first round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Tournament on Saturday at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas where the Tigers picked up their first ranked dual victory of the season by a score of 4-2.
Sophomore Jordan Daigle notched a ranked victory in singles when he defeated No. 53 junior Uros Petronijevic 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
“It was important for this team because we feel like we have put a good amount of work in,” said head coach Jeff Brown. “We were ready to play and [the team] did a great job with their energy.”
Brimming with confidence after an opening weekend that saw them earn two victories while scoring 13 of a possible 14 team points, LSU was focused early.
The Tigers came out hot and won two consecutive doubles sets to clinch the first team point for LSU. Junior Boris Arias and sophomore Justin Butsch kept the positive momentum going as they made quick work of their opponents and helped LSU race to a 3-0 lead.
“We have had a really good attitude in practice and guys looked sharp,” Brown said. “It translated to our early doubles point. Boris [Arias] and Justin [Butch] getting quick wins really set the table.”
San Diego proved their ranking as they drew the team score within 3-2 before LSU went on to clinch the match on court one when Daigle overcame Petronijevic.
Brown said the team was looking forward to this match for some time and did a good job of staying in control. The Tigers now await their opponent as they will face No. 37 TCU, a 4-2 winner over host and No. 10 Texas A&M.
“We have a lot of familiarity with both of them,” Brown said. “Our guys are familiar with them and they are familiar with us. It will come down to who is playing better tomorrow.”
LSU will play in the championship match at 3 p.m. CST on Sunday.
For up-to-date information and behind the scenes access on the Tigers, fans can follow the LSU men’s tennis team on Twitter and Instagram at @lsutennis and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/lsutennis.
ITA Kickoff Tournament
Jan. 24, 2015
No. 45 LSU def. No. 33 San Diego, 4-2
LSU (4-0), San Diego (0-1)
Singles
*No 1 – Jordan Daigle (LSU) def. No. 53 Uros Petronijevic (USD) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
No 2 – No. 70 Filip Vittek (USD) vs. No. 55 Chris Simpson (LSU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-1 unfinished
No 3 – Romain Kalaydjian (USD) def. No. 67 Tam Trinh (LSU) 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
No 4 – Jordan Angus (USD) def. Andrew Korinek (LSU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
No 5 – Justin Butsch (LSU) def. Ciaran Fitzgerald (USD) 6-1, 6-4
No 6 – Boris Arias (LSU) def. Geoffrey Fosso (USD) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
No 1 – Jordan Daigle/Boris Arias (LSU) vs. Jordan Angus/Filip Vittek (USD) 5-4 unfinished
No 2 – Chris Simpson/Tam Trinh (LSU) def. Ciaran Fitzgerald/Uros Petronijevic (USD) 6-2
No 3 –Justin Butsch/Andrew Korinek (LSU) def. Geoffrey Fosso/Romain Kalaydjian (USD) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,5,4,3,1*)
*clinched the match