LSU Tops Alabama Men?s Tennis in Baton Rouge
4/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
BATON ROUGE, La.- The No. 12 Alabama men's tennis team fell to No. 13 LSU, 5-2, at the WT "Dub" Robinson Stadium today. Alabama came out strong in doubles but could not hold on to the momentum as LSU controlled the singles lineup giving the Tigers the win.
"We did a good job winning the doubles point against a team that plays great doubles," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "However, LSU really played well in singles. We had opportunities but we simply did not convert on the big points. We had some first sets that I think we should have won and that might have made the difference in the match."
Alabama clinched the doubles point for the 19th time this season and the sixth time over a top 25 team. The Tide got off to a slow start on court two but consecutive wins on courts one and three secured the point for Alabama.
Alabama's top doubles pair of Dan Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau defeated No. 7 Danny Bryan and Colt Gaston, 8-6, to give the Tide its first win. With the win, Buikema and Thibaudeau improved to 23-11 and 2-1 against top 10 pairs. The Tide's Javier Bes and Billy Mertz clinched the doubles point with an 8-4 win over LSU's Kevin Dessauer and Jan Zelezny. With the win, the pair improved to 13-4 and 10-1 from the No. 3 slot.
The Tide had a 1-0 advantage heading into the singles lineup but they did not hold on to the lead long. With wins at Nos. 4, 6, and 3, LSU claimed a one-point lead over the Tide. Mertz defeated his opponent at the No. 2 slot to close the gap, however, LSU retaliated with wins at Nos. 1 and 5 to secure the win.
Alabama's Mertz, who debuted in the rankings at No. 86 this week, earned the Tide's sole singles victory with a win over higher-ranked Bryan, 6-2, 6-4, from the No. 2 slot. With the win, Mertz improved to 22-7 and picked up his first conference victory from the No. 2 position. LSU's Ken Skupski clinched the match with a straight-set victory over Alabama's Joseph Jung from the top singles position.
Alabama (15-6, 5-4 SEC) heads to Fayetteville, Ark. to take on the Razorbacks Sunday at 2:00 pm. before hosting a non-conference double- header Wednesday, April 11.
-UA-
No. 13 LSU 5, No. 12 Alabama 2
Baton Rouge, La.
WT "Dub" Robinson Stadium
Results
Singles Competition
1. No. 24 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. No. 82 Joseph Jung (UA) 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 86 Billy Mertz (UA) def. No. 34 Danny Bryan (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Sammy Struyf (UA) 7-5, 6-3
4. Kevin Dessauer (LSU) def. Mathieu Thibaudeau (UA) 6-3, -2
5. James Cluskey (LSU) def. Javier Bes (UA) 7-6, 6-1
6. Jan Zelezny (LSU) def. Saketh Myneni (UA) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. No. 26 Dan Buikema/Mathieu Thibaudeau (UA) def. No. 7 Danny Bryan/Colt Gaston (LSU) 8-6
2. No. 19 Ken Skupski/James Cluskey (LSU) def. Joseph Jung/Saketh Myneni (UA) 8-2
3. Javier Bes/Billy Mertz (UA) def. Kevin Dessauer/Jan Zelezny (LSU) 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3*); Singles (4,6,3,2,1*,5)
