COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 16th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team knocked LSU off the cloud it has been riding for the past week after posting a 7-2 win over the Lady Tigers Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
LSU (12-8, 3-7 Southeastern Conference) entered the match riding a three-match winning streak including wins over SEC-rivals No. 10 Tennessee and No. 17 Arkansas, both 5-4.
South Carolina’s win gives the Lady Gamecocks a first-round bye in the 1999 SEC Women’s Tennis Tournament which begins Thursday in Baton Rouge. With an upset win over No. 1 Florida today, LSU would be the No. 9 seed in the tournament. Otherwise, it will be the 10th seed.
South Carolina clinched the match in singles play, taking 5-of-6 matches from the Lady Tigers. LSU picked up a singles point the No. 2 position where No. 77-ranked Ana Paula Mores defeated 66th-ranked Celine Regnier, 6-2, 6-0.
LSU has posted an 18-2 record at No. 2 singles this season.
In doubles play, LSU lost 2-of-3 matches, winning at the No. 1 position. The LSU team of Mores and freshman Bruna Colosio upset the 35-ranked team of Regnier and Katarina Markovski, 8-4.
LSU lost the Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 6 positions, each in straight sets. Lynn-Yin Tan defeated LSU s Tami Botts, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to clinch the match for the Lady Gamecocks.
LSU returns to action today at 3 p.m. to face the No. 1 Florida Gators in the “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium. Florida is riding a 50-match winning streak and is the defending national champion.