BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 6 LSU men’s tennis team – 14-2 this campaign – will visit Austin to battle its highest-ranked opponent of the season in No. 2 Texas, on Friday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The Tigers will return home for a doubleheader at the LSU Tennis Complex on Sunday, March 8, to face off against Tennessee at 12:00 p.m. CT and Southern Miss at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Live stats will be provided for Friday’s match against Texas through https://lsul.su/4rUbLsE. Live video can be accessed through https://lsul.su/3PhPiqO.

For Sunday’s doubleheader action, video can be accessed through https://lsul.su/49uB6RK. Results for Tennessee can be followed at https://lsul.su/3MIyjxi and for Southern Miss at https://lsul.su/4cv9sHG.

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.

“We know it’s going to be a great challenge,” said head coach Danny Bryan regarding Friday’s match. “Texas has a very good team top to bottom. The guys are excited about the match and will be ready to give everything they have to get the job done.”

LSU played four matches last week, coming out victorious in all, including their second conference win over then No. 34 Ole Miss in a 4-3 decision. After opening the slate with a 4-0 sweep of Nicholls, the Tigers defeated UL-Lafayette 6-1 later that day before capping off the busy weekend with another 4-0 sweep against Southern on Sunday.

In the ITA rankings, LSU lands a spot higher than last week at No. 6. Furthermore, a new doubles team rises for the Tigers: No. 66 Andrej Loncarevic and Sasa Markovic make their first appearance in the rankings this season. The sophomore duo’s ascension is largely credited to back-to-back ranked wins in their last two conference matches, where they defeated Alabama’s then No. 18 Andreii Zimhokh and Jacob Olar, followed by their latest against Ole Miss’s No. 40 Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn. Just above them, clocking in at No. 59, is the freshman-senior pair of Erik Arutiunian and Matias Ponce de Leon. Arutiunian leads the purple and gold in the singles rankings at No. 54, followed by No. 117 Loncarevic.

LSU enters the matchup with ten all-time wins over Texas. In just their fourth meeting in the last 22 years, the Tigers look to rebound after dropping to the Longhorns in their previous two meetings. Texas, on the other hand, seeks to remain hot, riding a nine-match win streak to go with its 13-3 record – 4-0 in conference play. Most notably, in this year’s edition of the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, the Longhorns earned their first championship in program history. Three pairings continue to highlight their squad in the doubles rankings: No. 13 Lucas Marionneau and Sebastian Gorzny, No. 14 Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar, and No. 88 Lucas Brown and Gorzny. Leading their group in singles are No. 4 Gorzny, No. 20 Kalin Ivanovski, No. 37 Eriksson, and No. 65 Abel Forger. At the helm of this stacked roster is head coach Bruce Berque, who has been commanding the Longhorns since 2019. Berque has an impressive resume with over three decades of experience. He has helped produce four national team champions, seven national individual champions, and 12 conference team titles. Additionally, he has coached seven singles players and three doubles teams to the No. 1 national rank. In his eighth year in charge and 13th as a part of the program, Berque looks to maintain the hot hand as he hosts a battle-tested LSU squad.

LSU has a tight 33-37-1 record against Tennessee all-time. The Vols, 7-8 and 0-4 in conference play, travel to Baton Rouge seeking their first SEC win. The Tigers, on the other hand, look to get their first win over the Vols since 2016. Representing Tennessee in the ITA singles rankings are No. 78 Jose Garcia and No. 88 Alejandro Moreno. Chris Woodruff is in his ninth season as Tennessee’s head coach and his 24th year on staff after taking over the program in 2017. A former world No. 29 ATP player and two-time tour champion, Woodruff has helped elevate the Volunteers, highlighted by the 2021 SEC Tournament title, back-to-back NCAA semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022, and a No. 4 final national ranking in 2021. He also led his doubles team to the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championship, and former player Johannus Monday to back-to-back SEC Players of the Year honors.

LSU will host Southern Miss to close their at-home doubleheader, looking to extend its perfect 28-0 record against the 5-4 Golden Eagles. Southern Miss rides a three-match win streak, as well as making significant history last week. Sophomore Kale Mize was awarded Sun Belt Player of the Week – the first time a player has ever taken home that award in program history. Zubin Engineer is in his 10th season as head coach at Southern Miss, compiling a 115–65 record with seven winning seasons and a .639 winning percentage since taking over the program in 2013.

Last time out for the Tigers, No. 117 Loncarevic overpowered Nicholls’ Colin Tavares in a 6-0, 6-1 result. He rounded out his 8-3 singles record this dual season, making strong appearances on each of the top four courts. On the top doubles court in every match this season, he and Markovic improved their national ranking to No. 66 with a win over No. 40 Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn. The pair helped secure the doubles point for the Tigers, later proving pivotal in the 4-3 result. Markovic also clinched for LSU in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 thriller over Benjamin Martin on court six. Riding a three-match win streak, his 11 wins on the season are the most on the team.

Freshman Olaf Pieczkowski – who has made every appearance this season on the top court – got above .500 with his two wins in last week’s doubleheader. He began with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 takedown of Stefano D-Agostino in the Ole Miss match, followed by a speedy 6-1, 6-0 victory against Southern’s Lwazi Ngwenya. Against Texas, the first court is set to hold No. 4 Gorzny, which would be Pieczkowski’s toughest opponent to date.

Fellow freshman No. 54 Arutiunian improved to 10-2 in his last outing, logging a 7-6(4), 6-3 straight-sets win over Matthieu Chambonniere to get the Tigers one step closer to the clinch over Ole Miss. Coming in at No. 59, he and Ponce de Leon clinched the crucial doubles point against the rebels, later improving to 10-2 together after toppling Gabriel Inyang and Lwazi Ngwenya from Southern. Ponce de Leon didn’t just take charge in doubles, but dominated in his singles showings against Nicholls and Southern. Collectively over the two matches, he dropped only three games, pushing his mark on the season to 10-3, competing primarily on courts four and five.

Sophomore Enzo Kohlmann got back on track against UL-Lafayette, posting a three-set win over Leonard Tramolay, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. All six of his singles wins this season have come on courts two and three. He has also played a crucial role in doubles, notching eight wins, six of which have come at the third spot. One of those came with junior Alessio Vasquez, who prevailed in an exciting 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 dual with Samual Kyjaci from UL-Lafayette. He has made an immediate impact, being inserted right back into the lineup for the Tigers, and looks to continue his strong return.

For the latest updates, follow @LSUTennis on Instagram, Facebook, and X.