No. 7-Seeded LSU Hosts Alabama State in NCAA Regional Opener
BATON ROUGE, La – No. 7 LSU will continue its postseason campaign at the NCAA Regional, hosting Alabama State on Friday, May 1, at 5:00 p.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU enters its 21st NCAA tournament with a 25-6 record, earning the No. 7 seed and hosting honors for the first time since 2009. The Tigers were selected to host Alabama State, Pepperdine, and Michigan.
Live video will be available all weekend at https://lsul.su/49uB6RK. For Friday’s Round of 64 match against Alabama State, live results will be provided through https://lsul.su/4mSCZy0. Should LSU advance, live results for Saturday’s Round of 32 match at 5:00 p.m. CT against the winner of Pepperdine versus Michigan will be available at https://lsul.su/3QPCglc.
“After the SEC Tournament, we took a few days to recover mentally and physically,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “Since then, we’ve worked on a few different things that we felt like we needed to correct, to ultimately play our best tennis now. I think it is going well, and the guys have really bought into the plan, and we’re now excited to play this weekend.”
When asked about what it means to him to host the NCAA Regional for the first time since 2009, Bryan said, “It’s a very exciting weekend for Louisiana Tennis in general, to have both the men and the women hosting. We’re hoping that we can get a huge crowd out here, and I know the guys are really looking forward to it.”
Last time on the court, LSU competed in the SEC Tournament in College Station, Texas. The Tigers had an automatic bye to the quarterfinals thanks to their No. 3 seeding, where they defeated No. 6-seeded Georgia in a tense 4-3 comeback. It was the program’s first win over the Bulldogs since 1999. In the semifinals, they were downed by No. 2-seeded Mississippi State, 4-2. Following two weeks of conference tournaments, the final ITA rankings of the season were released today, with LSU landing at No. 7. The duo representing the Tigers is No. 15 Sasa Markovic and Andrej Loncarevic, remaining steady as a top team in the nation. In singles, holding the top spot on the team is the SEC Freshman of the Year, No. 26 Olaf Pieczkowski. Following him is a fellow Tiger who joined him on the All-freshman Team, No. 34 Erik Arutiunian, who primarily anchors the second spot. Finally, part of the All-SEC Second Team is No. 111 Andrej Loncarevic.
Alabama State enters Baton Rouge on a three-match win streak after successfully defending its conference title, capturing a fifth straight SWAC championship. LSU pitched a 4-0 sweep over Alabama State in their only meeting, which came in 2019. Now, with the season on the line in every match from here on out, both teams have little room for error. The Hornets do not have anyone representing them in the ITA rankings, though five of the six players who are featured in the SWAC All-Tournament team wear the black and yellow. Anuk Christiansz, a former Sri Lankan Davis Cup team member and seven-time national champion as a coach, is coming off his tenth conference title with Alabama State. He also carries multiple regular-season titles with him. A two-time conference Coach of the Year, Christiansz has guided his team to be a consistent force in the SWAC, making many appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Pieczkowski has headlined the Tigers this campaign and now has hardware to show for it. He first earned SEC Player of the Week after his signature win over then-No. 4 Sebastian Gorzny in a comeback thriller to help LSU topple then-No. 2 Texas, 4-3. He continued to dominate in the SEC Tournament, being named to the All-Tournament Team after clinching the win for LSU as they defeated Georgia in the quarterfinals, downing then-No. 40 Arda Azkara in straight sets. Pieczkowski etched his name into LSU history the following week, as he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year – the first time a Tiger has garnered that award. He did not stop there, however; the Polish native also took home All-SEC First Team and All-Freshman Team honors. He can credit this to his 9-7 mark – all on the top court – as well as his six ranked wins. Furthermore, in doubles, he and Enzo Kohlmann have stepped up at the third spot, proving their worth down the stretch. The two hold an 8-6 record while going 5-3 in SEC play.
Kohlmann made a statement in his last match. After getting downed in the quarterfinals versus Georgia, he returned against Mississippi State’s Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes, outlasting him in a tight straight-set win, 6-3, 7-6(2). The sophomore carries a 10-9 mark into the NCAA Tournament, taking command on court six.
The other freshman who has made his presence felt throughout the season is Arutiunian, taking home conference honors following his standout campaign. He won his first SEC Freshman of the Week following ITA Kickoff Weekend, which helped LSU advance to the ITA National Indoor Team Championships for the first time in 20 years. He claimed the award for a second time after strong outings versus Oklahoma and then-No. 11 Texas A&M. At the conclusion of the SEC Tournament, Arutiunian was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team, putting the exclamation mark on his first-year run before entering the NCAA Tournament. Last time out, he earned a convincing 6-1, 7-6(0) win over then-No. 84 Niccolo Baroni from Mississippi State. He leads the team in multiple categories, highlighted by a 19-6 overall record, including a 7-1 mark on court one and 12-5 on court two. He also paces the squad with 10 ranked wins and shares the best conference record at 9-3 alongside Loncarevic. At the peak of conference play, he reached a 10-match win streak, defining his season by consistency and reliability.
Ponce de Leon has been featured on court two with Arutiunian the entire season. In their conference tournament run, the two captured wins in both matches, the only pair to do so for the Tigers. Together, their record moved to 18-6, carrying two ranked wins into the NCAA Tournament. In singles, Ponce de Leon was a part of the 4-3 comeback win over Georgia, taking down Derrick Chen in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. The Spaniard moved forward with an 18-8 season mark, having logged five wins in his last six matches.
Loncarevic has brought the energy and passion to the squad all season and was rewarded with a spot on the All-SEC Second Team as a result. In his tournament bout with Georgia’s No. 101 Santiago Giamichelle, the sophomore created the spark to fuel the comeback, capturing his fourth ranked win on the season in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Emerging victorious in seven of his last eight matches, Loncarevic holds a 17-6 mark, with 10 wins coming on court three. In doubles, he and Markovic have made every appearance together on the top court with a 13-7 total. They battled in tight matches against some of the best teams in the nation in the conference tournament and are more than prepared to take on what the NCAA has to throw at them. Markovic also carries a 14-7 season mark, setting a foundation at the beginning of the season by embodying grit and consistency.
In the SEC Tournament, Alessio Vasquez brought the match to a 3-3 level against Georgia. After falling in an early hole, he climbed back to take it in straights, winning 6-4, 6-4 over Noah Johnston. Primarily on courts four and five down the stretch this season, the junior embodies the spirit of the team, displaying reliability and trustworthiness. As the captain, he has greatly bolstered the lineup upon his return from injury at the start of SEC play. The German native has improved his record to 8-6 with a ranked victory to his name. Fellow Junior Rudy Ceccon has made an impact when inserted into the lineup. Most recently, he moved to 7-2 and a perfect 6-0 on court six, with a two-match win streak before the regular season wrapped up. Both veterans will be able to provide the leadership and experience that the young team is relying on to make a deep run.
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