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Men’s Tennis: Galka Leads The Way For Ragin’ Cajuns on SBC Honors -Preview vs. UTA in SBC TournamentLouisiana earns two All-Sun Belt Conference honors in singles and one All-Sun Belt Conference honor in doubles
David Collins, Athletics Communications Assistant Story LinksNEW ORLEANS – Freshman Jan Galka had himself a freshman campaign, going 17-12 playing primarily at No. 1, and he was awarded for his solid first season by earning All-Sun Belt First-Team honors in singles, joining junior Jamie Fraser (second-team singles) and the doubles pairing of senior Arthur Libaud and junior Pearse Dolan (second-team doubles) in collecting Sun Belt All-Conference honors for Louisiana Men’s Tennis as announced by the conference on Wednesday afternoon. Galka becomes the first member from Louisiana to earn first-team honors in singles since Rick De Groot earned the honors in 2014. And for the Ragin’ Cajuns this makes it four straight seasons with at least one member earning All-Sun Belt honors in singles, with Galka and Fraser joining junior Elio Lago(2018), Libaud (2016-17) and Edgar Lopez (2016). GALKA AND FRASER LEAD THE WAY: Galka and Fraser each had great seasons for Louisiana, with Galka going 10-8 during the spring, 8-7 at No. 1 singles, and Fraser finishing 21-8 overall (18-5 in the spring). Fraser became the first to win at least 20 matches in singles for Louisiana since Tomasz Krzyskowski went 20-7 in 2009. Galka’s highlight win came against UTSA’s Kai Breitbach, who at the time was ranked 117 in the nation and went 3-2 during conference play in singles. Fraser’s highlight win of the season was the clniching win for the Ragin’ Cajuns against Nebraska, giving Louisiana its first win over a Power Five program since 2012. A TOP PAIRING: Libaud and Dolan were a key cog in Louisiana’s doubles attack all season long, finishing 12-8 overall when paired together, playing primarily at No. 1 doubles. The two earned a national ranking of No. 53 after taking down the then ranked No. 27 duo from Northern Arizona, and the Louisiana pairing held that ranking during the month of February. QUOTEABLE: On Galka’s Season: On Fraser’s Season: On the Libaud/Dolan Pairing: 2018-19 SUN BELT MEN’S TENNIS POSTSEASON AWARDS Doubles All-Sun Belt Second Team Doubles Sun Belt Player of the Year Sun Belt Player to Watch Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Sun Belt Coach of the Year FOLLOWING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS: Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@RaginCajunsMT) to stay up-to-date with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Tennis. – #GEAUXCAJUNS David Collins, Athletics Communications Assistant
Louisiana enters as the No. 5 seed and UT Arlington brings in a No. 4 seedStory LinksPEACHTREE CITY, Ga. – Following an historic 21-win season, Louisiana Men’s Tennis (21-9, 3-4 SBC) head to the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Tennis Championships, as the No. 5 seed and the Ragin’ Cajuns will face off with No. 4 UT Arlington (14-8, 4-2 SBC) on Friday, April 19 in the quarterfinals of the SBC Championships at Peachtree City, Georgia. TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The SBC Championships is a single elimination tournament, with Louisiana needing to win three matches to earn its first conference title since 2014. The quarterfinals, which are the first matches of the tournament, can be followed online via RadioTennis.com, and a win by Louisiana would set them up to face the winner between No. 1 Georgia State and No. 8 Appalachian State in the semifinals on Saturday, April 20. Both the semifinals and finals will be shown on ESPN�, and all matches will have live stats via the Sun Belt Conference. GALKA AND FRASER LEAD THE WAY: Freshman Jan Galka and junior Jamie Fraser each had great seasons for Louisiana, with Galka going 10-8 during the spring, 8-7 at No. 1 singles, and Fraser finishing 21-8 overall (18-5 in the spring). Fraser became the first to win at least 20 matches in singles for Louisiana since Tomasz Krzyskowski went 20-7 in 2009. The two great seasons meant that Galka (First-Team) and Fraser (Second-Team) each earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors in singles. Galka’s highlight win came against UTSA’s Kai Breitbach, who at the time was ranked 117 in the nation and went 3-2 during conference play in singles. Fraser’s highlight win of the season was the clinching win for the Ragin’ Cajuns against Nebraska, giving Louisiana its first win over a Power Five program since 2012. A TOP PAIRING: Senior Arthur Libaud and junior Pearse Dolan were a key cog in Louisiana’s doubles attack all season long, finishing 12-8 overall when paired together, playing primarily at No. 1 doubles. The two earned a national ranking of No. 53 after taking down the then ranked No. 27 duo from Northern Arizona, and the Louisiana pairing held that ranking during the month of February. The great season as a pairing, locked up All-Sun Belt Conference honors, earning a Second-Team nod in doubles. WHAT THE MAVERICKS BRING: Louisiana and UT Arlington last met in the 2019 regular season finale, with the Mavericks taking the match, which was played on April 14 in Arlington, Texas, 4-0 to wrap up the season and set up the SBC Championships matchup. The Ragin’ Cajuns and Mavericks have met twice in the SBC Championships, both played in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Ragin’ Cajuns took the first matchup in 2014 and the Mavericks taking the previous matchup in 2016. Since 2007, Louisiana holds a 5-2 advantage over the Mavericks, and the two sides have split their two meetings in the SBC Championships. FOLLOWING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS: Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@RaginCajunsMT) to stay up-to-date with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Men’s Tennis. – #GEAUXCAJUNS –
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