BATON ROUGE, La – The No. 21 LSU men’s tennis team is set to host Rice on Feb. 2 at 1:00 p.m. CT, followed by Tulane on Feb. 3 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Attendance at all LSU matches at the LSU Tennis Complex is free. Attendees will be required to comply with the university’s clear-bag policy.
After knocking off three ranked opponents in its first five matches, the Tigers landed in the top 25 of the ITA rankings for the first time since 2024. Additionally, their 5-0 record is the best start since 2019, and the longest undefeated streak to begin its season under head coach Danny Bryan.
In the spring campaign, LSU holds an overall 21-8 singles and 10-1 doubles mark. They have clinched the doubles point in all five matches played.
LSU returns to the ‘Plex after winning both of its matches in the ITA Kickoff Weekend to advance to the ITA National Indoor Team Championships. En route, the Tigers notched a dramatic 4-3 victory over then No. 16 Arizona, before taking down then No. 22 Pepperdine 4-2 the next day.
Erik Arutiunian continues to put his name on the map, winning SEC Freshman of the Week for the first time in his collegiate career following another impressive outing in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Against Arizona, the freshman earned his first ranked win over No. 58 Filip Gustafsson, coming back from down a set 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
On court No. 2 with fellow first-time Tiger, Matias Ponce de Leon, the pair picked up two more doubles wins to remain perfect on the season. After their 6-3 win over Arizona, the duo followed it up by claiming their first ranked takedown against Pepperdine’s No. 53 Lasse Poertner and Aleksa Pisaric
In singles play, the senior began the season 2-1 on court four. Seeking to get into the win column at the fifth spot, Ponce de Leon highlighted his weekend by staging a comeback after being down 1-6, 2-5, to secure the match against Pepperdine, with a final score of 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Freshman Olaf Pieczkowski debuted for the Tigers last weekend, logging his first win alongside sophomore Enzo Kohlmann at the third spot to clinch the doubles point against Arizona, 7-6 (5). Kohlmann returned the next day in singles, posting a commanding 6-4, 6-2 scoreline to achieve his first win on the No. 3 court this season.
Sophomore Sasa Markovic picked up his fourth win of the season against Arizona, toppling No. 106 Matthias Uwe Kask on court six, earning his first ranked win of the season. With partner Andrej Loncarevic, the duo has continued to excel on the top court, extending their perfect 3-0 start to the season against Pepperdine. Loncarevic holds a four-match win streak following his clinching match against Arizona, before he overwhelmed No. 61 Pisaric of Pepperdine, 6-1, 6-0, to log his first ranked win this season.
LSU leads the series over Rice 22-19-2. After falling in their last matchup, the Tigers are ready to bounce back. Rice holds a 3-2 record on the season. They advanced to the ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship match after taking down Oregon 4-3, but came up short when swept by No. 3 Stanford. The Owls are led by head coach Efe Ustundag, who enters his ninth season as head coach with a 160-136 career record.
In program history, LSU has a 37-50-2 record versus Tulane. The Tigers aim to extend their four-match win streak against the Green Wave, dating back to 2022. This season, they stand 1-1 with a win over Southern and a loss handed to them by Ole Miss. Tulane heads to Baton Rouge with head coach Mark Booras at the helm. Booras was the associate coach for LSU men’s tennis for nine years. He helped guide the 1999 Tigers to their second consecutive SEC Championship, the first team to ever repeat as tournament champions. In his 14th season coaching at his alma mater, he has put up a 178-141-1 record, qualifying for six NCAA Tournament appearances.
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