FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The LSU men’s tennis team opens its Southeastern Conference schedule with a match at Arkansas Friday at 6 p.m. CT in the Billingsley Tennis Center.
Fans can follow the match at LSUstats.com and on Twitter @LSUtennis.
Thoughts from the Co-Head Coach Chris Brandi
“There’s no better conference than the SEC and that’s no different for tennis,” co-head coach Chris Brandi said. “The intensity is about to increase, and we will have to respond with energy and excitement. We’ve probably had our best two weeks of practice all year, and we are about to find out if that will translate into the matches. Arkansas is a very solid team from top to bottom, so it’s a great way to start SEC play.”
The Matchup
LSU is 27-8 all time against Arkansas. Last season, the Tigers were 0-2 against the Razorbacks. However, Gabor Csonka, Nikola Samardzic and Rafael Wagner each recorded wins against Arkansas opponents on the singles courts.
Tiger Tidbits
The Tigers are coming off of a 7-0 sweep of Nicholls, and LSU has three Tigers with at least 10 wins, dating back to fall play. Wagner leads the team with a 13-3 overall record and has compiled a 5-2 record on court three during the dual season. Samardzic has 12 wins and Csonka has 11.
Duo Stewart Block and Shane Monroe lead the Tigers with seven doubles wins on court three. Csonka and Julian Saborio have recorded a 5-0 record on court one, and Agie Moreno and Wagener are 4-0 on court two.
Notes on the Razorbacks
The Razorbacks have a 5-4 overall record and are coming off of a 6-1 loss at No. 16 Texas.
Arkansas’ Jose Salazar is No. 78 in the ITA singles rankings and has a 13-6 overall record and a 7-2 record on court one in the dual season. Josh Howard-Tripp has 12 wins, and Jose Alonso has 10 wins for the Razorbacks.
On the doubles court, Salazar and Howard-Tripp have recorded a 4-2 record on court two.
Social Center
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.