University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Deep Cajuns Are Ready To Start The Season
1/9/2018 9:02:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Louisiana kicks off their 2018 season on Saturday, Jan. 13, in the first round of the Florida State Invite, against the No. 21 Seminoles.
LAFAYETTE – To be the best, you have to play the best.
It's why Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's tennis head coach Mark Jeffrey has put together a schedule for his squad that will test and prepare them, while putting them in a position to be considered among some of the better programs in the country.
"In the first two weeks, we've got No. 21 Florida State, and that same weekend we could possibly play North Florida and Georgia State who both finished last season ranked," said Jeffrey. "From there we go to No.24 Texas Tech and Rice who are both highly ranked programs in the country."
That tough beginning of the season means that as the season goes along the Cajuns will be prepared to handle whatever adversity comes their way, and that's how coach Jeffrey likes it.
"We've instructed the guys that you're going to get hit hard in the beginning, but once you see that level of play it's easier to handle it. They'll have to figure some things out, but I know their capable of working through the tough times," said Jeffrey.
One of the strengths the Cajuns have this season is their depth, as compared to last season, and they go eight or nine deep in their lineup and it'll mean that they can overcome any bumps and bruises that comes along through a long and grueling season.
"The most exciting thing about our team this year is that we're a deep bunch," said Jeffrey. "We've got eight or nine guys that can play top six and anybody can be plugged into our lineup wherever we need them."
Junior Arthur Libaud and sophomores Elio Lago and Jamie Fraser all enter the spring after a great fall season. While the experienced senior, Vlad Kramarov and sophomore Pearse Dolan look to build on a solid fall, as they look to carry the same success into the spring season.. Freshman Dominik Koenig, who got himself a few great wins during the fall, and freshmen Pierce Gilheany and Nico Sojka will look to gain great experience through the spring season. And sophomore Silvio Cocito-Monoc, a New Orleans native, will get plenty of time in the Cajuns lineup through the season as coach Jeffrey mixes and matches as each opponent comes up.
What makes coach Jeffrey comfortable about his team and the depth he has is the way they competed in the fall. And how well his team did in the individual competitions they took part in.
"One of the reasons we like to start the fall with the John Breaux Cajun Classic is because it prepares the guys for the spring, and it gets them used to playing against higher ranked teams," said Jeffrey.
In the John Breaux Cajun Classic, Fraser beat Texas Tech's Alex Sendegeya, who's currently playing their No. 1, in the first round to give him a signature win. While Lago and Libaud made deep runs in the 2017 ITA Southern Regionals.
Lago advanced all the way to the Round of 32, beating Auburn's Olle Thestrup along the way. While Libaud played Ole Miss' Zvonimie Babic, who finished the fall ranked No. 69, strong in his big matchup at the regionals, losing in the third set 6-3.
"I thought that Lago, Fraser and Libuad all had great falls. Fraser was, from start to finish, the most consistent through the fall," said Jeffery.
The Cajuns tough competition, through the 2018 season, kicks off at the Florida State Invitational, in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Louisiana beings that tournament facing off with the No. 21 Florida State Seminoles, and in the next round they'll face either Georgia State or Mercer. Before wrapping things up with one final match with their opponent to be decided on how things go in the event.
From there the hits keep coming, they'll face No. 24 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas (Jan. 19); Rice, who finished the 2017 season ranked No. 44, they'll face in Houston, Texas (Jan. 21) and they'll travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU on Jan. 23.
The Cajuns open up their home schedule with a doubleheader against, Xavier (La.), who're one of the top NAIA programs in the country on Jan. 27. Their home stand is short lived as they head back on the road for a weekend visit to San Antonio, Texas, where they'll face UTSA (Feb. 2) and Incarnate Word (Feb. 4).
Louisiana stays on the road as they head to Norfolk, Va. To take on Old Dominion (Feb. 10) followed by a trip to Richmond, Va. on Feb. 13 to take on VCU. That weekend they'll return to Cajun Courts as they'll host another double header, this time against Jackson State on Feb. 17.
The next three matches are at home as Louisiana welcomes Tennessee Tech and East Carolina for a double header on Feb. 23. They'll finish the home stand off by welcoming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 24.
Louisiana's next weekend will be in Corpus Christi, Texas where they'll take part in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's HEB Invitational from Mar. 2-3.
The Cajuns stay on the road with a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss. to face Southern Miss. on Mar. 10 and they'll make the short trip from Hattiesburg to New Orleans to face New Orleans on Mar. 11.
Their next five matches are at home, with UT-Rio Grande Valley (Mar. 16); Alcorn State (Mar. 25 DH) and Prairie View A&M (Mar. 30 DH). Louisiana wraps up their regular season facing the only two Sun Belt Conference schools they'll see all year before the conference tournament when they travel to Georgia to take on Georgia Southern (Apr. 3) and Georgia State (Apr. 6).
"This team is a blue-collar team and we've had to fight for everything we got during the fall," said Jeffrey. "I want this team to put their blinders on and just keep working as hard as they have been through the fall.
"I feel like that we can compete at any position with any team ranked in the top 50, because we're that deep entering the season."
Louisiana will have plenty of opportunities to test their depth this season, and a real shot at being the best by beating the best.
#GEAUXCAJUNS
It's why Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's tennis head coach Mark Jeffrey has put together a schedule for his squad that will test and prepare them, while putting them in a position to be considered among some of the better programs in the country.
"In the first two weeks, we've got No. 21 Florida State, and that same weekend we could possibly play North Florida and Georgia State who both finished last season ranked," said Jeffrey. "From there we go to No.24 Texas Tech and Rice who are both highly ranked programs in the country."
That tough beginning of the season means that as the season goes along the Cajuns will be prepared to handle whatever adversity comes their way, and that's how coach Jeffrey likes it.
"We've instructed the guys that you're going to get hit hard in the beginning, but once you see that level of play it's easier to handle it. They'll have to figure some things out, but I know their capable of working through the tough times," said Jeffrey.
One of the strengths the Cajuns have this season is their depth, as compared to last season, and they go eight or nine deep in their lineup and it'll mean that they can overcome any bumps and bruises that comes along through a long and grueling season.
"The most exciting thing about our team this year is that we're a deep bunch," said Jeffrey. "We've got eight or nine guys that can play top six and anybody can be plugged into our lineup wherever we need them."
Junior Arthur Libaud and sophomores Elio Lago and Jamie Fraser all enter the spring after a great fall season. While the experienced senior, Vlad Kramarov and sophomore Pearse Dolan look to build on a solid fall, as they look to carry the same success into the spring season.. Freshman Dominik Koenig, who got himself a few great wins during the fall, and freshmen Pierce Gilheany and Nico Sojka will look to gain great experience through the spring season. And sophomore Silvio Cocito-Monoc, a New Orleans native, will get plenty of time in the Cajuns lineup through the season as coach Jeffrey mixes and matches as each opponent comes up.
What makes coach Jeffrey comfortable about his team and the depth he has is the way they competed in the fall. And how well his team did in the individual competitions they took part in.
"One of the reasons we like to start the fall with the John Breaux Cajun Classic is because it prepares the guys for the spring, and it gets them used to playing against higher ranked teams," said Jeffrey.
In the John Breaux Cajun Classic, Fraser beat Texas Tech's Alex Sendegeya, who's currently playing their No. 1, in the first round to give him a signature win. While Lago and Libaud made deep runs in the 2017 ITA Southern Regionals.
Lago advanced all the way to the Round of 32, beating Auburn's Olle Thestrup along the way. While Libaud played Ole Miss' Zvonimie Babic, who finished the fall ranked No. 69, strong in his big matchup at the regionals, losing in the third set 6-3.
"I thought that Lago, Fraser and Libuad all had great falls. Fraser was, from start to finish, the most consistent through the fall," said Jeffery.
The Cajuns tough competition, through the 2018 season, kicks off at the Florida State Invitational, in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Louisiana beings that tournament facing off with the No. 21 Florida State Seminoles, and in the next round they'll face either Georgia State or Mercer. Before wrapping things up with one final match with their opponent to be decided on how things go in the event.
From there the hits keep coming, they'll face No. 24 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas (Jan. 19); Rice, who finished the 2017 season ranked No. 44, they'll face in Houston, Texas (Jan. 21) and they'll travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU on Jan. 23.
The Cajuns open up their home schedule with a doubleheader against, Xavier (La.), who're one of the top NAIA programs in the country on Jan. 27. Their home stand is short lived as they head back on the road for a weekend visit to San Antonio, Texas, where they'll face UTSA (Feb. 2) and Incarnate Word (Feb. 4).
Louisiana stays on the road as they head to Norfolk, Va. To take on Old Dominion (Feb. 10) followed by a trip to Richmond, Va. on Feb. 13 to take on VCU. That weekend they'll return to Cajun Courts as they'll host another double header, this time against Jackson State on Feb. 17.
The next three matches are at home as Louisiana welcomes Tennessee Tech and East Carolina for a double header on Feb. 23. They'll finish the home stand off by welcoming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 24.
Louisiana's next weekend will be in Corpus Christi, Texas where they'll take part in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's HEB Invitational from Mar. 2-3.
The Cajuns stay on the road with a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss. to face Southern Miss. on Mar. 10 and they'll make the short trip from Hattiesburg to New Orleans to face New Orleans on Mar. 11.
Their next five matches are at home, with UT-Rio Grande Valley (Mar. 16); Alcorn State (Mar. 25 DH) and Prairie View A&M (Mar. 30 DH). Louisiana wraps up their regular season facing the only two Sun Belt Conference schools they'll see all year before the conference tournament when they travel to Georgia to take on Georgia Southern (Apr. 3) and Georgia State (Apr. 6).
"This team is a blue-collar team and we've had to fight for everything we got during the fall," said Jeffrey. "I want this team to put their blinders on and just keep working as hard as they have been through the fall.
"I feel like that we can compete at any position with any team ranked in the top 50, because we're that deep entering the season."
Louisiana will have plenty of opportunities to test their depth this season, and a real shot at being the best by beating the best.
#GEAUXCAJUNS
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