STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 24 LSU men’s tennis team fell in a close match to No. 20 Mississippi State on Sunday in Starkville by a score of 4-2.
The Tigers (16-7, 6-6 SEC) dropped their fourth consecutive doubles point before sophomore Justin Butsch and junior Boris Arias won their matches in straight sets to give LSU a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs (18-6, 9-3 SEC) eventually clinched the match on court six.
“This was a close match and I was a little dissappointed that we lost a winnable doubles point,” said head coach Jeff Brown. “We will regroup at practice and travel to College Station on Thursday to play in the SEC tournament.”
Brown said he hopes the team can regain their doubles form from earlier in the season as the team moves toward postseason play. He highlighted the importance of playing with energy and being individual responsibility in doubles.
The match came down to a court six tie breaker where LSU freshman Simon Freund battled hard but ultimately came up just short.
“Simon played well and that is a tough spot for a freshman,” Brown said. “[Sophomore] Jordan [Daigle] also played well and that was good to see.”
With the regular season in the books, Brown will have his team focused on performing well at the SEC tournament in hopes of improving their seed in the NCAA tournament.
The team will draw confidence from their several top-20 wins throughout the season.
“We have a had a lot of big wins this season and there were others we could have had,” Brown said. “I think we are playing well and we are at a good level. We have had a good regular season and we are in solid shape for the NCAA tournament.”
LSU now awaits the conclusion of conference play for their SEC tournament match up to be set.
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 at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.
Mississippi State vs LSU
April 12, 2015 at Starkville, Miss.
#20 Mississippi State 4, #24 LSU 2
Singles competition
1. #73 Florian Lakat (MSU) def #121 Chris Simpson (LSU) 6-1, 7-5
2. #74 Jordan Daigle (LSU) unfinished Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 5-5
3. Boris Arias (LSU) def. #96 Mate Cutura (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Andrew Korinek (LSU) (6-2, 1-6, 6-1
5. Justin Butsch (LSU) def. Tassilo Schmid (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Julian Cash (MSU) def. Simon Freund (LSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-7(5-7)
Doubles competition
1. #15 Julian Cash/Florian Lakat (MSU) def. No. 23 Boris Arias/Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-4
2. Chris Simpson/Justin Butsch (LSU) unfinished Juan Cruz Estevarena/Robin Haden (MSU) 5-3
3.Mate Cutura/Tassilo Schmid (MSU) def. Simon Freund/Tam Trinh (LSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 18-6 (8-3 SEC); National ranking #20
LSU 16-7 (6-6 SEC); National ranking #24
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,5,1,4,6)