The Crimson Tide men’s tennis team heads to Gainesville, Fla., to take on No. 33 LSU for the second time this season in the first round of the SEC championships.
The first showdown in Baton Rouge, La., ended in a 5-2 loss for the Tide, as heckling fans got the best of Alabama’s frame of mind.
“I think it’s very fortunate, the way the seeding worked out, that we get to face LSU,” head coach Billy Pate said. “There were two matches where I knew that the guys wanted a rematch and that’s with Vanderbilt and LSU. Those two, we really let go. We felt like if we had just won both of those we would already be in the tournament. Even if we’d won one of them, as it stands, we could have put ourselves in a better position to enter the tournament. LSU is a good opportunity and it’s a team that we feel like we can beat if we play well.”
The Tide’s current standing depends on this game against the Tigers for its entry into the top 8 of the Southeastern Conference Championship bracket. Alabama must put together a win or its season will be over.
“I think we’re all ready,” sophomore Jarryd Botha said. “We’re pretty pumped. Last time was a really close match, and I think we got a bit unlucky. This time we’re going to come out firing. It’s more of a mental performance than a physical one for us.”
The most recent fall to No. 20 Auburn took no toll on the Tide’s spirit, either.
“It’s been a frustrating season for us, but the good news is that we have another chance to get back in this thing,” Pate said. “If we can get this win and sneak into the tournament, I think we could be a very dangerous team.
“We switched the whole lineup. It’s a clean slate. Sometimes when you mix it up like this, it creates a lot of new energy, and it’s definitely going to be a more balanced lineup. Realistically, LSU is very good at No. 1 doubles and we definitely should have beat them at 2. We really should have won that match without the doubles point last time, but we’ve got a really good chance this time around.”
Pate has placed Vikram Reddy and Daniil Proskura in the No. 1 spot and Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson at No. 2, with Botha and his partner Trey Walston closing up No. 3.
With the recent lineup shuffle, the Tide men found just the new chemistry Pate was hoping for and even utilized some energy from the past.
“[Doverspike and Thompson] haven’t played together this year, but in the past two years they’ve been very successful,” Pate said. “Trey and Jarryd played together last year, so that’s a more familiar team as well.”
Another curveball to face this weekend will be the weather conditions on the court. It is said to be well into the 90’s and the sun’s reverberation off the court can bring the temperature up by at least 10 more degrees.
“Hydration is going to be key,” Pate said. “We’ll bring ice buckets onto the court and we’ve already told the guys to start preparing their bodies for that weather.”
The heated rematch starts today at 11 a.m.
