WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 25th-ranked LSU women’s tennis team picked up its third-road victory of the season on Wednesday, as the Lady Tigers dropped the Purdue Boilermakers, 5-2, here at the Varsity Courts in West Lafayette, Ind.
“After losing a tough match to Kentucky the other day, this was a very big victory for us,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We beat a good team in Purdue today, and that should help us gain some momentum for a big conference battle against Arkansas. It’s been a hard road trip and we’re looking forward to playing a couple of matches at home.”
After earning the doubles point and jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, LSU’s Tami Botts clinched the Lady Tiger victory on court No. 4 by defeating Purdue’s Gretchen Haynor in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. The win marked Botts’ 16th victory of the season and snapped her four-match losing streak.
With the win, the Lady Tigers snapped a three-match losing streak and improved to an overall record of 11-6 on the season. The LSU women’s tennis team possesses an even 3-3 record in road contests this season and have three more to play. The Lady Tigers head to Tulane, Ole Miss and 23rd-ranked South Carolina for the final-road matches of their 2000-01 dual-match season.
In doubles play, LSU’s 18th-ranked tandem of Bruna Colosio and Rocio Fantilli defeated Melissa Woods and Missy Wright, 8-4, on court No. 1, while the Lady Tigers’ Botts and Lauren Haddix were victorious over the Boilermakers’ Melissa Iqbal and Gretchen Haynor, on court No. 3 to finalize the doubles point, 8-6. LSU’s pair of Colosio and Fantilli improved to a dual-match record of 12-3 with the win.
The Lady Tigers earned four-singles wins versus Purdue on Wednesday. On court No. 1, the 23rd-ranked Colosio picked up her ninth-straight victory by handily defeating Erika Quebe in less than an hour, 6-2, 6-1. Colosio has accumulated a 19-2 overall record and a 13-1 mark in No. 1 singles competition.
Lauren Haddix, the Lady Tigers’ sophomore from Charleston, W. Va., was victorious on court No. 2 over Woods, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the longest match of the day, while LSU’s Fernanda Tsucamoto breezed by the Boilermakers’ Lisa Walgenbach, 6-2, 6-2, in No. 5 singles. Tsucamoto earned her 16th victory of the season and her fourth on court No. 5.
Purdue dropped its fifth-straight match on Wednesday and fell to an overall record of 3-11 on the season. The Boilermakers are 0-5 against teams ranked in the top 25 and have accumulated a 2-4 record at home in the West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue hosts Indiana on Sunday at 8 a.m.
In the most recent WingspanBank.com tennis rankings, which were released on Wednesday, the Lady Tigers dropped one spot to No. 25 from the No. 24 position. Seven of the Southeastern Conference’s 12 teams were ranked in the top 25 and the SEC owns four of the top-six teams in the nation. Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Vanderbilt are the nation’s 3-6 teams, respectfully.
The 25th-ranked LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Sunday, April 1, as the Lady Tigers host the Arkansas Lady Backs at noon in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
#25 LSU: 5, Purdue: 2
Singles
1. #23 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. Erika Quebe (PU), 6-2, 6-1.
2. Melissa Iqbal (PU) def. Rocio Fantilli (LSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
3. Lauren Haddix (LSU) def. Melissa Woods (PU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
4. Tami Botts (LSU) def. Gretchen Haynor (PU), 6-3, 7-5.
5. Fernanda Tsucamoto (LSU) def. Lisa Walgenbach (PU), 6-2, 6-2.
6. Missy Wright (PU) def. Mandy Rice (LSU), 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Doubles
1. #18 Colosio/Fantilli (LSU) def. Woods/Wright (PU), 8-4.
2. Walgenbach/Quebe (PU) def. Amy McIlhaney/Tsucamoto (LSU), 9-8(5).
3. Haddix/Botts (LSU) def. Iqbal/Haynor (PU), 8-6.