OXFORD, Miss. — Bruna Colosio defeated a ranked opponent for the 14th time this season, but it wasn’t enough for LSU as the Lady Tigers were eliminated from the Southeastern Conference Women’s Tennis Championships with a 5-1 setback to fifth-ranked Florida here Friday on the campus of Ole Miss.
With the win, Florida has now won all 24 of its matches against LSU and the Lady Gators advance to Saturday’s semifinal against Vanderbilt. Florida, the No. 2 seed at the event, improved to 19-2 overall. LSU, the No. 10 seed, fell to 14-10.
The Lady Tigers must now wait for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, which starts the second weekend in May.
“This was a tough loss for us,” LSU coach Tony Minnis said. “Florida has a very good team and they came out ready to play. Now all we can do is focus on getting prepared for the NCAA Championships.”
LSU’s only win came at No. 1 singles where 10th-ranked Colosio posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory over 11th-ranked Whitney Laiho. The win also avenged a three-set loss to Laiho earlier this season.
“That was a big win for Bruna,” Minnis said. “She is establishing herself as one of the top players at the collegiate level.”
Florida swept the remaining five singles spots in straight sets. Jessica Lehnhoff, ranked No. 30 in the nation, eased by 66th-ranked Ana Paula Mores, 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the victory for the Lady Gators.
SEC Championships
Second Round
Oxford, Miss.
April 21, 2000
SINGLES
No. 1 #10 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. #11 Whitney Laiho (UF), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 #30 Jessica Lehnhoff (UF) def. Ana Paula Mores (LSU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 #65 Stephanie Hazlett (UF) def. Fernanda Tsucmoto (LSU), 6-2, 6-4.
No. 4 #45 Baili Camino (UF) def. Lauren Haddix (LSU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 #44 Traci Green (UF) def. Tami Botts (LSU), 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 Julia Scaringe (UF) def. Amy McIlhaney (LSU), 6-1, 6-4
DOUBLES were not played.