WACO, Texas – After not participating in any competition since the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on April 17, the No. 27 LSU men’s tennis travels to Waco, Texas to face No. 58 UTSA on Friday at 3 p.m. in the Hurd Tennis Center for the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Jeff Brown said the team (17-8, 6-6 SEC) made good use of their near month off and spent the time working out any kinks remaining from the season as well as improving team fitness before the match with UTSA (17-8).
“The team handled it really well,” Brown said of the time off. “This group is really eager and did not really take a lot of days off. We were able to take this time and use it to be more comfortable moving forward.”
The Tigers are energized at the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament after narrowly missing qualification last season. LSU’s most recent NCAA tournament appearance was in the 2012-2013 season when they defeated Stanford in the first round before falling to No. 12 Pepperdine in Malibu.
Brown said last season served as a reminder that postseason play is not something to be taken for granted, regardless of the strength of the program.
“Last year was not a fun situation,” Brown said. “We are used to being there. We are fortunate to be in a place where that is the expectation but you can not take it for granted. We are fired up to get started.”
Friday’s match will mark the first time the Tigers play in a non-SEC venue since the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational in January. The team is looking forward to a change of scenery after a grueling conference schedule.
Waco is also the site of the final 16 round of the NCAA tournament and the team is looking forward to an opportunity to scout the venue ahead of a possible return.
“It is kind of refreshing after the grind of the SEC tournament,” Brown said. “It is nice to play in a different setting and to play somewhere different.”
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.