BATON ROUGE – – LSU’s 16th-ranked Bruna Colosio was named SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week Thursday after recording an undefeated week in both singles and doubles play. The sophomore from Cascaval, Brazil was a perfect 6-0 in dual competition.
“Bruna is a tremendous tennis player,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “She is a fierce competitor and is on pace to have one of the best records in school history this season.”
Colosio was 3-0 in singles matches last week including two victories over higher ranked opponents. She defeated Georgia’s eighth-ranked Aarthi Venkatesan, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, and South Carolina’s 14th-ranked Katarina Markovski, 6-2, 6-2.
In doubles play Colosio teamed up with Ana Paula Mores to upset Georgia’s ninth-ranked duo of Marissa Catlin and Lori Grey, 8-5. The team then defeated South Carolina’s 44th-ranked tandem of Markovski and Jennifer Radman by the score of 8-3. The 21st-ranked Colosio/Mores was 3-0 last week in doubles play.
The 24th-ranked LSU Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 8-5 Wednesday afternoon with an 8-1 victory over Southern Methodist University.
“We played well against SMU,” Minnis said. “It feels good to get a solid road win, and with the toughness of our schedule this season wins aren’t easy to come by. We have to earn every win that we get. None of these teams are going to just hand us a win.”
The Lady Tigers led SMU, 5-1, after singles play. On court No. 1, Colosio was victorious over 43rd-ranked Dee Dee Herring, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. LSU’s 64th-ranked Mores handily defeated Meghan Russell, 6-3, 6-0, on court No. 2, while Fernanda Tsucamoto needed three sets for her victory on court No. 3 versus SMU’s Patricia Ubez-Diaz, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.
LSU also picked up wins at singles No. 5 and No. 6. Freshman Lauren Haddix won on court No. 5 by the score of 6-2, 6-1 over Katie Pruitt, while junior Mandy Rice outplayed Sarah Love Swaney, 6-0, 6-0, on court No. 6.
The Lady Tigers swept the doubles competition and broke their four-match losing streak against SMU. SMU’s overall record dropped to 4-4 on the season.
The LSU Lady Tigers will next be in action March 17 as they travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for an SEC battle versus the Crimson Tide.
#24 LSU: 8, SMU: 1
SINGLES
No. 1 #16 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. #43 Dee Dee Herring (SMU), 6-4, 6-7, 6-2
No. 2 #64 Ana Paula Mores (LSU) def. Meghan Russell (SMU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Fernanda Tsucamoto (LSU) def. Patricia Ubez-Diaz (SMU), 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
No. 4 Lyndsey Bruce (SMU) def. Tami Botts (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 Lauren Haddix (LSU) def. Katie Pruitt (SMU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 Mandy Rice (LSU) def. Sarah Love Swaney (SMU), 6-0, 6-0
DOUBLES
No. 1 Kelly Craycraft/Mores (LSU) def. Russell/Bruce (SMU), 9-7
No. 2 Tsucamoto/McIlhaney (LSU) def. Herring/Pruitt (SMU), 8-4
No. 3 Haddix/Botts (LSU) def. Ubez-Diaz/Swaney (SMU), 8-3