BEAUMONT, Texas – Led by the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week
Benny Schweizer, the No. 72-ranked Lamar University men's tennis will open league play Friday against Nicholls. The Cardinals (8-5) enter the week having dropped 11 spots in the poll after a heartbreaking setback at No. 71 Nebraska.
The Cardinals have won three of their last five contests to close out their most recent six-match road swing with a 3-3 (.500) record. The 3-3 tally may not look impressive to the average fan but placed in the proper context it makes those numbers shine a bit brighter. LU faced three nationally ranked teams, and picked up a win over No. 47 Iowa. Prior to the match against the Hawkeyes, LU took on No. 5 Oklahoma State. Although the Cardinals dropped a 4-0 decision to OSU, the duo of junior
Michael Feucht and Schweizer easily defeated OSU's top-ranked doubles team of Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe – who were ranked ninth nationally.
The upset win in doubles play landed the LU duo in the national rankings. The two enter the conference opener ranked 43
rd nationally just ahead of Cal-Berkley's Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat. It also marks the second consecutive season LU head coach
Scott Shankles has coached a nationally ranked doubles team.
LU enters the week as one of only two SLC schools who has not yet opened conference play (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).
Nicholls has struggled out of the gate to start the 2016 season. The Colonels are 2-10 (.167) overall, and are the Southland's only team with a below .500 overall record. Nicholls is perfect in conference play having won its conference opener against Incarnate Word, 4-3.
The victory over UIW ended a nine-match losing streak to start the season after opening the year with an impressive 4-1 win over Jackson State in Thibodaux, La. The Colonels are coming off a 6-1 loss to Abilene Christian last time out.
Friday's match is slated to begin at 9 a.m. from the Thompson Family Tennis Center. Admission to all LU home tennis matches is free.
Following the conference opener, the Cards will have four days to prepare for its next match – a non-conference tilt against UTSA. The match against the Roadrunners will take place Tuesday, March 29, beginning at 3 p.m.
-LU CARDINALS-
