Hog Netters to Close Regular Season at No. 12 LSU

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas hits the road Saturday in its regular season finale at No. 12 LSU in a match set for 1 p.m. at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

The Razorbacks enter Saturday’s contest with a record of 7-20, 0-10 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Tigers are 14-5 overall and 6-4 in the SEC.

Arkansas features one of the SEC’s hottest players. Sophomore Blake Strode has won five consecutive matches, including four in a row against ranked opponents, on his way to improving his season totals to 25-10 overall, 16-7 in duals and 6-4 in SEC play, all at No. 1 singles. The St. Louis, Mo. native, named SEC Player of the Week for March 27-April 2, is currently ranked 77th in the nation and boasts eight wins against nationally ranked opponents.

Strode’s opposition Saturday will likely come in the form of LSU’s Ken Skupski. Skupski is ranked 24th nationally and will likely hold the top spot in the Tiger lineup. Skupski is one of three ranked Tigers, along with 34th-ranked Danny Bryan and 76th-ranked Kevin Dessauer.

LSU also sports one of the SEC’s top doubles lineups, with the nation’s seventh-ranked team in Bryan and Colt Gaston, as well as the 19th-ranked pair of Skupski and James Cluskey.

Arkansas also has one of the league’s premier doubles tandems in Strode and junior Colin Mascall. The duo, ranked 49th nationally, is 19-7 on the season, 15-6 in dual matches and 6-4 in league play, all at No. 1 doubles.

Saturday’s outing is the last for the Hogs before opening SEC Tournament action Thursday in Baton Rouge. The Razorbacks will be the field’s No. 12 seed, and their opponent will be determined after this weekend.

Live scoring for Saturday’s match with LSU will be available on Hogwired.com.