Bulldog Netmen Travel To LSU Friday
May 25, 2016 | Men's Tennis
State, 9-8 overall and 2-6 in the SEC, is coming off a solid 5-2 home victory over 33rd-ranked Middle Tennessee Tuesday. The Bulldogs are led by sophomore Romain Ambert, who is now ranked seventh in the country in singles, and junior Rene-Charles Combette (78th). Ambert and Combette are No. 24 nationally together in doubles.
LSU will enter the match 5-11 overall, 0-8 in the SEC, with its most recent outing being a close 4-3 loss to 41st-ranked SMU. The Tigers are paced by senior Daniel Kiernan, who is ranked 89th in the nation in singles.
The teams have met 32 times in recorded history (since 1969) with LSU owning a 23-8-1 advantage in the series. State took a tight 4-3 decision in the teams' only meeting last season, which was contested in Starkville.
"This is a big match for both teams," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We have both been struggling in the SEC this year and we are both hungry for a win. LSU is always tough to beat in Baton Rouge and this year will be no different. Their record is not indicative of how good their team is because a lot of their losses have been to top 20 teams."
Following Friday's action, the Bulldogs will return home Sunday to host 18th-ranked Arkansas in another key SEC battle which will help close out Super Bulldog Week activities. That match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
