CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The unforced errors that plagued the LSU men’s tennis team throughout the end of the regular season ended the Tigers’ run in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as LSU was upset by No. 41-ranked Minnesota 4-2.
The Tigers came into the tournament having lost their last three matches and LSU head coach Jeff Brown felt that had an affect on his team’s play Saturday.
“I think that coming into this match off of those losses at the end of the season really hurt our confidence”, said Brown. “We played better today and the matches were really close. We just didn’t win the crucial points we needed to win.”
The Tigers shook off a slow start in doubles play, rallying to claim the early point. Danny Bryan and Colt Gaston were first off, winning their match over Minnesota’s D. J. Geatz and Andres Osorio 8-3.
James Cluskey and Paul White rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a 7-4 lead. The duo were in one point of closing out the match when Mark Growcott and Ken Skupski finished off their opponents on the No. 1 court, clinching the doubles point.
It was the Tigers’ inconsistent singles play that cost them the match Saturday and Minnesota was able to come back and pick up the big wins it needed. The Gophers were extremely successful against the lower half of LSU’s lineup.
Minnesota picked up its first match when Raoul Schwark beat Cluskey in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
After Skupski defeated the Gophers’ 59th-ranked Geatz in three sets 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on court one, Minnesota ran off three consecutive wins to earn the victory.
Despite winning the first set on court four, Bryan was unable to finish off Adrien Debreyne, falling to the in three sets. Likewise Minnesota’s Nic Edlefsen fought back at the No. 3 spot to defeat Gaston 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
The clincher came on court six where Brian Lapinski outlasted Tiger junior Kevin Dessauer 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 and locked up the match.
Saturday’s contest was the final match in the career of LSU senior Paul White. White was a three-time ITA Academic All-American and 2005 SEC Academic Athlete of the Year.
LSU’s other senior Mark Growcott will compete with Skupski at in the NCAA Doubles Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. The pair reached the finals of last year’s doubles championship. Skupski will also compete in the NCAA Singles Championships for the third consecutive year.
#41 Minnesota 4, #22 LSU 2
Singles
1. #20 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #59 D. J. Geatz (MINN) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
2. Mark Growcott (LSU) vs. Andres Osorio (MINN) 3-6, 7-6, 5-5, susp.
3. Nic Edlefsen (MINN) def. Colt Gaston (LSU) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
4. Adrien Debreyne (MINN) def. Danny Bryan (LSU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
5. Raoul Schwark (MINN) def. James Cluskey (LSU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Brian Lipinski (MINN) def. Kevin Dessauer (LSU) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Doubles
1. #14 Skupski/Growcott def. Debreyne/Schwark 8-3
2. #38 Gaston/Bryan def. Geatz/Osorio 8-3
3. Paul White/James Cluskey led Wilkins/Edlefsen 7-4 susp.
NCAA Tournament
Coral Gables, Fla.
Neil Schiff Tennis Center
First Round
May 13, 2006
Minnesota (14-12) def. LSU (15-10), 4-2
Doubles
1. #14 Mark Growcott/Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Raoul Schwark/Adrien Debreyne (Minnesota), 8-3
2. #38 Danny Bryan/Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Andres Osorio/D.J. Geatz (Minnesota), 8-3
3. James Cluskey/Paul White (LSU) led Nic Edlefsen/Sion Wilkins (Minnesota), 7-4 susp.
Order of finish: 2,1
Singles
1. #20 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #59 D.J. Geatz (Minnesota), 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
2. Mark Growcott (LSU) vs. Andres Osorio (Minnesota), 6-3, 6-7, 5-5, susp.
3. Nic Edlefsen (Minnesota) def. Colt Gaston (LSU), 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
4. Adrien Debreyne (Minnesota) def. Danny Bryan (LSU), 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
5. Raoul Schwark (Minnesota) def. James Cluskey (LSU), 6-4, 6-4
6. Sion Wilkins (Minnesota) vs. Kevin Dessauer (LSU), 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Order of finish: 5, 1, 4, 3, 6
NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament Pairings/Results
All times listed local
University of Texas A&M ? College Station, Texas
Live Scoring
Notre Dame def. Brown, 4-3
(16) Texas A&M def. Texas-Arlington, 4-0
University of Louisville – Louisville, Ky.
Live Scoring
(7) Illinois def. Western Illinois, 4-0
Louisville def. SMU, 4-0
May 13, 2006
University of Georgia – Athens, Ga.
Live Scoring
Georgia Tech vs. Alabama, Noon
(1) Georgia vs. Furman, 3 p.m.
University of Texas A&M ? College Station, Texas
Live Scoring
(16) Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame, 4 p.m.
University of Virginia – Charlottesville, Va.
Live Scoring
(8) Virginia vs. Army, 10 a.m.
Wake Forest vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m.
University of Miami – Coral Gables, Fla.
Live Scoring
LSU vs. Minnesota, 9 a.m.
(9) Miami vs. Manhattan, Noon
Duke University – Durham, N.C.
Live Scoring
(4) Duke vs. Winthrop, 10 a.m.
Boise State vs. N.C. State, 1 p.m.
Stanford University ? Stanford, Calif.
Live Scoring
California vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 9 a.m.
(13) Stanford vs. Quinnipiac, Noon
Baylor University ? Waco, Texas
Live Scoring
(5) Baylor vs. Texas Southern, 11 a.m.
MTSU vs. Tulsa, 2 p.m.
Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond, Va.
Live Scoring
(12) VCU vs. Richmond, 9 a.m.
Washington vs. Penn State, Noon
Pepperdine University – Malibu, Calif.
Live Scoring
(2) Pepperdine vs. Montana State, 9 a.m.
TCU vs. San Diego, Noon
Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, Okla.
Live Scoring
Florida vs. Western Michigan, 11 a.m.
(15) Oklahoma St. vs. Drake, 2 p.m.
University of Louisville – Louisville, Ky.
Live Scoring
(7) Illinois vs. Louisville, Noon
University of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, Calif.
Live Scoring
Colorado vs. Arizona, 10 a.m.
(10) UCLA vs. Stony Brook, 1 p.m.
University of Texas at Austin – Austin, Texas
Live Scoring
(3) Texas vs. Tennessee Tech, Noon
Rice vs. UL-Lafayette, 3 p.m.
University of Mississippi – University, Miss.
Live Scoring
(14) Mississippi vs. Belmont, 11 a.m.
Florida State vs. Auburn, 2 p.m.
Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio
Live Scoring
Arkansas vs. Michigan
(6) Ohio State vs. Butler
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Live Scoring
(11) North Carolina vs. South Carolina St., 9 a.m.
Clemson vs. South Carolina, Noon
May 14, 2006
University of Georgia – Athens, Ga.
Final, 2 p.m
University of Virginia – Charlottesville, Va.
Final, Noon
University of Miami – Coral Gables, Fla.
Final, Noon
Duke University – Durham, N.C.
Final, 2 p.m.
Stanford University ? Stanford, Calif.
Final, 11 a.m.
Baylor University ? Waco, Texas
Final, 2 p.m.
Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond, Va.
Final, Noon
Pepperdine University – Malibu, Calif.
Final, 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, Okla.
Final, 2 p.m.
University of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, Calif.
Final, 1 p.m.
University of Texas at Austin – Austin, Texas
Final, 1 p.m.
University of Mississippi – University, Miss.
Final, 1 p.m.
Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio
Final, noon
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Final, 1 p.m.