Men's Tennis Central: #21 Tennessee vs. LSU

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 21st-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team is set to host LSU on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Barksdale Stadium.

A live stream will be provided for fans here, and live stats will also be available here. Admission is free to fans, and tennis parking will be available on West Volunteer Boulevard and at the top of the CI7/NC7 garage located next to Barksdale Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee (12-5, 3-3 SEC) secured its sixth sweep of the season against Ole Miss in a 7-0 display against the Rebels. The doubles point was earned by the Vols for the third straight match, as the No. 11 pairing of Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno and the duo of Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason won their doubles matchups against the Rebels.

While Jesudason and Jose Garcia were the only Vols in singles to win in straight sets, Tennessee carried enough momentum to win every other court they played on. Other singles wins were earned by Ian Cruz, Moreno, Mitsui, and Kotzen.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU (9-9, 0-6 SEC) is currently slotted at No. 75 in the ITA National Rankings. The Tigers most recently squared off against 27th-ranked Kentucky and were defeated, 5-2. During the 2023-24 season, LSU tallied a 16-14 mark and made it to the NCAA Tournament, suffering a loss to UCLA. This year, their squad currently features one ranked doubles pair, as the duo of Julien Penzlin and Aleksi Lofman are ranked 45th nationally.

The Vols are 36-33-1 all-time against the Tigers and are riding a seven-match win streak coming into Saturday's battle. Most recently, Tennessee posted a 4-0 sweep against LSU during the 2023-24 campaign.

VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#25 – Shunsuke Mitsui
#29 – Alex Kotzen

Doubles
#11 – Alex Kotzen/Alejandro Moreno

TIGERS IN THE RANKINGS
Doubles
#45 – Julien Penzlin/Aleksi Lofman

DOUBLES HEATING UP
With Thursday's doubles win against Ole Miss, the Vols have acquired the early advantage for the 12th time this season. Tennessee is 11-1 on the year when the doubles point swings in its favor, and the past three matches have seen the early momentum shift gained by UT.

UP NEXT
Tennessee will head south for a pair of matchups in the Yellowhammer State, taking on Alabama (March 20) and Auburn (March 22).

For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Ian Cruz

Jose Garcia

Alan Jesudason

Alex Kotzen

Shunsuke Mitsui

Alejandro Moreno

University of Tennessee Athletics