LSU men’s tennis improves to 3-1

BY CONNOR BARNEY @theconnorbarney

LSU men’s tennis has started its season off strong as they come off two victories this past weekend. The Tigers defeated Rice University 4-2 and Prairie View A&M University 7-0 to improve to a 3-1 record to start the season.

It was a back-and-forth battle Saturday between the Tigers and the Owls, with the match coming down to the end of singles play. LSU started off strong as Nick Watson and Stefan Latinovic won the first match of the day: a 6-4 in doubles.

That ended up being the story of the game as Alabama had another hot shooting night up until the last few minutes. The Crimson Tide shot 45% from the field and knocked down 13 three-pointers on 29 attempts.

Despite the loss, LSU still seems to be showing signs of progress in these last few games. The

Rice bounced back quickly, taking the next doubles match 3-6. LSU regained their lead before heading to singles play as Chen Dong and Welsh Hotard won their match 6-3, giving the Tigers the lead overall 1-0. In singles, Rice took an early lead as Hotard fell to Barnett in straight sets, and George Stoupe was defeated by Kapasi 6-2, 6-3, giving the Owls a 2-1 overall advantage.

The Tigers were far from defeated, and LSU began a victorious run to close the match.