No. 10 seed LSU’s time in the SEC Tournament has come to an end following its loss to No. 7 seed University of Mississippi in a close 4-3 battle. The Tigers were eliminated in the second round following their loss to the Rebels.
Ole Miss was ranked No. 30 in the nation coming into the match, while LSU jumped the rankings following two SEC wins last week. The Tigers were seated at No. 32 in the nation before their loss.
The match started in LSU’s favor, and the Tigers pulled together two quick wins for a crucial double’s point. Stefan Latinovic and Welsh Hotard started the day strong with the first win, completing their match 6-4.
No. 50 ranked duo Nick Watson and Ronnie Hohmann followed with the second win to secure the lead for the Tigers, finishing their match 6-3. Chen Dong and George Stoupe played the third doubles match. That match went unfinished with the Tiger duo up 4-3.
LSU continued its success heading into singles play with No. 75 Hohmann taking a ranked win over No. 67 Nikola Slavic and putting the Tigers up 2-0 after a statement 7-5, 6-0 score.
LSU’s success was short lived and the Rebels took back some points of their own. Julien Penzlin fell first, dropping in straight sets 3-6, 4-6 as Ole Miss took the lead with a score of 2-1.
Latinovic fell soon after Penzlin, dropping a dramatic first set 5-7 and losing the second set 3-6, allowing the Rebels to even the score at 2-2.
Hotard brought life back to the Tigers, completing a comeback win after losing his first set 3-6. The New Orleans native won the last two sets 6-2, 6-1 to put LSU back on top, setting the match score to 3-2.
Stoupe played a hard-fought match, losing the first set 2-6 but rallying back and winning the second set 6-4. He fell in the end, losing the third set 6-3. That loss allowed the Rebels to level the playing field once again at 3-3.
LSU’s destiny fell on No. 123 Chen Dong, who in the past has proved himself to be a clutch in tight scenarios. The first set was a gritty one, going all the way to a tiebreaker, with Dong finishing strong for his first set win 7-6(7-3).
His opponent, Simon Junk, battled back, taking the second set 3-6 with little trouble. The match, as well as the tournament, fell in the third set, and Dong battled hard but fell in the end, losing 5-7.
LSU lost 4-3 overall in the match and was eliminated from the tournament in the second round. The season is far from over for the Tigers, as NCAA regionals start May 5. A two-week break will comence before fans see the Tigers back in action as they look to qualify for the NCAA championships.
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