Men’s tennis team holds off Clemson
The 32nd-ranked LSU men’s tennis team put together an exciting performance in front of its home crowd Thursday, taking a 5-2 victory over Clemson at Robinson Stadium.
LSU (3-1) came out strong in doubles, with wins by junior tandem Roger Anderson and Stefan Szacinski as well as senior Neal Skupski and sophomore James Turbervill to secure the doubles point. Plus, No. 28 Olivier Borsos and Chris Simpson fell behind 5-1 to Clemson’s Yannick Maden and Zachary Rigsby before winning seven straight games in an 8-5 victory.
In singles, wins by Turbervill and Skupski gave LSU a 3-0 lead before Clemson (1-2) won twice to close to 3-2.
With the match on the line, Tom Knights won 6-4, 6-4 over Cedric Willems to clinch the victory for LSU.
“There was really a great crowd out there today, and I think that definitely had an impact on the outcome of the match,” LSU coach Jeff Brown.
LSU next travels to play at No. 31 Michigan on Sunday.
No. 32 LSU 5, No. 70 Clemson 2
Singles
1. No. 59 Yannick Maden (CLEM) def. No. 68 Olivier Borsos (LSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Gerardo Meza (CLEM) 6-4, 6-0
3. Dominique Maden (CLEM) def. Chris Simpson (LSU) 6-1, 0-6, 6-2
4. Tom Knights (LSU) def. Cedric Willems (CLEM) 6-4, 6-4
5. Stefan Szacinski (LSU) def. Hunter Harrington (CLEM) 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4)
6. James Turbervill (LSU) def. Zachary Rigsby (CLEM) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
1. No. 28 Chris Simpson/Olivier Borsos (LSU) def. Yannick Maden/Zachary Rigsby (CLEM) 8-5
2. Neal Skupski/James Turbervill (LSU) def. Gerardo Meza/Cedric Willems (CLEM) 8-6
3. Roger Anderson/Stefan Szacinski (LSU) def. Ayrton Wilbowo/Hunter Harrington (CLEM) 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,2,1,3,4,5)
Volleyball
Ojie Hired as Assistant: Sam Ojie has accepted an assistant coach position on the LSU staff, head coach Fran Flory announced Wednesday. He will handle match preparation and scouting along with assisting with player development, training and recruiting.
Ojie has 13 years of experience as an assistant coach, most recently a five-year stint at Oklahoma, along with stops at Georgia, UCF and Tulane.
Soccer
FIVE SIGN: LSU announced five signees, including two rated among the nation’s top 100 by one website, Wednesday: midfielders Haley Emerson (Fort Myers High, Fort Myers, Fla.), Jade Kovacevic (Georgetown, Ontario, Canada) Heather Magee (Grapevine High, Colleyville, Texas), striker Colby Maffei (Tampa Prep, Tampa, Fla.), ) and goalkeeper Morgan Ruhl (The McDonogh School, Hereford, Md.).
LSU is losing five seniors who helped the program to four consecutive Southeastern Conference West titles.
“We feel this class is potentially the most talented we have signed as a group as we continue to build a championship program at LSU,” LSU coach Brian Lee said. “They have the chance to build upon the foundation we’ve already laid and help us compete for championships for years to come.”
Magee (No. 31) and Ruhl (No. 80) are four-star recruits and were ranked among the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Top 100.