KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – LSU senior Boris Arias clinched a 4-3 decision 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 on court five against UT’s Preston Touliatos for the No. 39 LSU men’s tennis team to win Friday at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.
“Finding a way to win in a tough situation is a special thing,” head coach Jeff Brown said. “It was a tough day. It was very cold, windy and not a lot of atmosphere there. We had some guys really step up in Gabor (Csonka), Boris (Arias) and Simon (Freund). They stepped up in a tough situation against a very hungry team, against a desperate team and it was a win that took a lot of character more than great play. It just took a lot of character.”
This win brings LSU to a 13-9 (4-6 SEC) record, with their opponent still looking for an SEC win at 11-13 (0-9 SEC).
The match began with a competitive doubles point. LSU’s Andrew Korinek and Gabor Csonka dropped a 6-2 court three match against Tennessee’s Srdjan Jakovljevic and Timo Stodder to begin the competition. With two courts left in play the Tiger duo of Justin Butsch and Tam Trinh defeated Touliatos and Jack Heslin 7-5, looking to court one to finish the point.
Arias and partner Jordan Daigle took a 7-5 decision over the No. 15 team of Jack Schipanski and Luis Valero to give LSU a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
LSU’s first three singles courts fell to the Volunteers including a court one loss against No. 109 Luis Valero, 6-3, 6-4, from LSU’s Daigle. Csonka changed the momentum for the Tigers by taking LSU’s first win in singles against Jakolijvic on court three, 6-4, 6-2.
Continuing for the Tigers, Freund’s court six win brought the match to a three-all score after defeating UT’s Heslin 6-1, 7-6 (9-7). With one court left in play, the victory was attainable for either team. Arias was down 4-5 in his third set against Touliatos before the match went to 6-6. With both players fighting until the end, the third set tiebreaker fell in Arias’ favor, finishing his opponent 7-5 to get the LSU win.
In their next match, the Tigers will travel to face No. 20 Kentucky, Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. The Wildcats face Texas A&M Friday in Lexington before they take on LSU.
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.
Tennis Match Results
LSU vs Tennessee
Apr 08, 2016 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium) LSU 4, Tennessee 3
Singles competition
1. #109 Luis Valero (UT-M) def. #79 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Timo Stodder (UT-M) def. #95 Justin Butsch (LSU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Gabor Csonka (LSU) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT-M) 6-4, 6-2
4. Jack Schipanski (UT-M) def. Nikola Samardzic (LSU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Boris Arias (LSU) def. Preston Touliatos (UT-M) 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Simon Freund (LSU) def. Jack Heslin (UT-M) 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
Doubles competition
1. #11 Jordan Daigle/Boris Arias (LSU) def. #15 Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT-M) 7-5
2. Justin Butsch/Tam Trinh (LSU) def. Preston Touliatos/Jack Heslin (UT-M) 7-5
3. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Timo Stodder (UT-M) def. Andrew Korinek/Gabor Csonka (LSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,2,1,3,6,5)