BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team will host the 23rd-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in a Southeastern Conference battle Tuesday in the “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in school history so far this season,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “Our team is playing extremely well right now, but if we want to go back to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight year, then it has to start tomorrow.”
LSU has an overall record of 9-5 this season but is 1-4 in SEC play. Kentucky’s overall record is 8-5 with a 2-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference.
Both the Lady Tigers and the Wildcats’ previous wins have come against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. LSU defeated Alabama, 8-1, on Friday, while Kentucky was victorious over the Crimson Tide on Sunday, 6-3.
The Lady Tigers have two nationally ranked singles players and one ranked doubles team, while the Wildcats have one nationally ranked singles player and two ranked doubles teams. Kentucky is the No. 23 team in the nation and LSU is just a few spots behind at No. 31.
LSU’s two ranked singles players are No. 13 Bruna Colosio and No. 64 Ana Paula Mores. Brooke Skeen is the Wildcats’ lone ranked singles player and she is tied for 87th in the nation.
In doubles play, LSU has the 16th-ranked duo of Mores and Colosio, while Kentucky has both the 34th and 46th-ranked pairs. The Wildcats’ Carolina Mayorga and Sara Witten are No. 34 in the nation and Brooke Skeen and Leigh Bradwell are No. 46.
“Kentucky is a really good team,” Minnis said. “Tomorrow’s match should be a hard fought contest and a tough match between two SEC rivals.”
Last season, the Wildcats got the best of the Lady Tigers with an 8-1 victory in Lexington, Kent. LSU’s loss came during an eight-game stretch in which the Lady Tigers faced ranked opponents. Kentucky was No. 18 at the time.
The match between the LSU Lady Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at the “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.