Bama Men's Tennis Ready For SEC Championships
5/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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TUSCALOOSA, ALA. – The University of Alabama men’s tennis team will play LSU in the first round of the SEC Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday at 8 a.m. EST. The Tide enters the tournament as the sixth seed, while the Tigers are the eleventh seed.
Alabama is ranked 18th in the country. They finished the regular season with a record of 15-6, 7-4 in the SEC. The LSU (7-12, 2-9) is ranked 45th. The Tigers’ Daniel Kiernan is ranked 89th in the national singles rankings.
Alabama defeated LSU in their first meeting this year, 4-1 in Tuscaloosa. Last year, the Tide lost to eventual NCAA runner-up Tennessee in the Semi-finals.
“We’re concentrating on LSU, and not looking ahead,” said Alabama head coach Adam Steinberg. We beat LSU earlier in the year, but they can beat anyone. We’re in for a battle this whole tournament. With this tournament, anyone can beat anyone.
“This tournament is a great chance for us. It is a highly recognized event around the country. A lot of people watch this event. It is a chance to show everyone that we are a legitimate top twenty team. In four matches, you can play four top twenty teams. This is a great opportunity for us.”
The winner of the Alabama/LSU match will take on third seeded Auburn in the Quarterfinals Friday at 8 a.m.
Thursday’s Matches
1. #6 Alabama v. #11 LSU 8 a.m.
2. #7 Kentucky v. #10 Mississippi State 11 a.m.
3. #8 Arkansas v. #9 South Carolina 2 p.m.
4. #5 Florida v. #12 Vanderbilt 5 p.m.
Friday’s Quarterfinals Matches
5. #3 Auburn v Alabama/LSU winner 8 a.m.
6. #2 Ole Miss v. Kentucky/Mississippi State winner 11 a.m.
7. #1 Georgia v. Arkansas/South Carolina winner 2 p.m.
8. #4 Tennessee v. Florida/Vanderbilt winner 5 p.m.
Saturday’s Semi-Finals Matches
9. Match 7 winner v. Match 8 winner 10 a.m.
10. Match 5 winner v. Match 6 winner 2 p.m.
Sunday’s Finals Match
11. Match 9 winner v. Match 10 winner 2 p.m.
