Men's Tennis Drops Close Match to No. 16 LSU
4/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? Alabama’s men’s tennis team stood toe-to-toe with No. 16 LSU Friday night, but the Crimson Tide’s upset bid fell just short in a 4-3 loss.
For the sixth time for Alabama this season in SEC play the match was decided by the final match left on the court. This time Alabama pinned its hopes on freshman Mathieu Thibaudeau. However, LSU senior Danny Bryan pulled out the three-set win for the Tigers, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
“I continue to say it and it’s true,” Alabama head coach Billy Pate said, “but we continue to get better and put ourselves in a position to win. Eventually we’ll pull one of these out.”
After LSU claimed a hard-fought doubles point, neither team could ever establish a secure grasp on the match during singles. Billy Mertz got Alabama on the board with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles over James Cluskey. LSU would then pull out to a 3-1 lead after wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Alabama didn’t give up though and the Tide began to seize momentum.
Thibaudeau and Javier Bes both mounted comebacks in the second set to force a third and give Alabama hope of pulling off the upset. Thibaudeau actually fought off match-point late in the second set at No. 3 singles. His effort seemingly sparked the rest of the Tide’s line-up.
At No. 2 singles, Bes played well against No. 100 Colt Gaston. With the match even at 4-4 in the third set, Bes held break point on Gaston that would have allowed Bes the chance to serve for the match. The game stretched on for nearly 15 minutes before Gaston was able to fight it off and win the game. He eventually won the match 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
Moments later, Sammy Struyf and Dan Buikema finished off three-set victories to even the dual-match score at 3-3.
“We did a good job of fighting back after doubles,” Pate said. “I felt like we had everything going our way that we could ask for, but like I told the guys afterwards, it’s a point here and a point there that we aren’t getting. It may not necessarily be at a point in the match that looks critical, but it may be earlier where we have to play just that little bit harder or choose a different shot to get the point.”
Seven of Alabama’s 20 matches this season have been decided by one-point.
Alabama will try to regroup on Sunday against another top-20 team when the Arkansas Razorbacks visit the UA Tennis Complex at 1 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
LSU vs Alabama
Apr 07, 2006 at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
#16 LSU 4, #45 Alabama 3
Singles competition:
1. #21 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #114 Joseph Jung (ALA) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
2. #100 Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Javier Bes (ALA) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
3. Danny Bryan (LSU) def. Mathieu Thibaudeau (ALA) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
4. Sammy Struyf (ALA) def. Mark Growcott (LSU) 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-1
5. Billy Mertz (ALA) def. James Cluskey (LSU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Dan Buikema (ALA) def. Kevin Dessauer (LSU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Doubles competition:
1. Mark Growcott/Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Joseph Jung/Mathieu Thibaudeau (ALA) 9-8 (7-4)
2. #25 Danny Bryan/Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Billy Mertz/Javier Bes (ALA) 8-4
3. James Cluskey/Paul White (LSU) def. Dan Buikema/Andrew Felsenthal (ALA) 8-5
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,1,2,6,4,3)
