BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team used four victories in singles play on Saturday to upend the Houston Cougars, 4-3, in preparation for Sunday’s 1 p.m. showdown with 19th-ranked Texas A&M at home in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“We played pretty well today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “Houston is a very talented team, they have some outstanding players and we found a way to win. Now, we just have to get ready for another tough match against Texas A&M. We are going to have to play at a higher intensity level tomorrow.”
The Lady Tiger women’s tennis team will host its arch-rival Texas A&M at 1 p.m. on Sunday. LSU will look to avenge last season’s 5-2 loss against Texas A&M on the road in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M comes into Baton Rouge with a 5-1 overall record and as the 19th-ranked team in the nation.
LSU’s Tami Botts picked up the deciding singles victory on Saturday, as the Lady Tiger senior outlasted Houston’s Jen Baccaroni, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, on court No. 2. Win the win, Botts clinched LSU’s seventh win of the season and increased her winning streak to 11-straight matches. The native of Ashland, Ore., currently owns an impressive 16-3 overall record.
The Lady Tigers improved to a 7-1 record on the year and remained undefeated at home. Six of LSU’s seven victories this season have come at home in the Robinson Tennis Stadium. The Lady Tigers have chalked up wins over Centenary, Southern, Purdue, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe and Houston.
With the loss, Houston dropped to a 4-2 overall record this season and the Cougars head to New Orleans for a match against Tulane on Sunday.
LSU was forced to come from behind against Houston on Saturday as the Cougars took an early 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. The Lady Tigers’ doubles pair of Botts and Perri Budd posted an 8-2 victory on court No. 3 before the Cougars won on courts No. 1 and No. 2. With the win, Botts and Budd notched their sixth-straight victory and improved to 9-3 on the season.
Amy McIlhaney, LSU’s senior from Marietta, Ga., once again dominated her opponent in No. 5 singles play. McIlhaney earned her ninth-straight victory on Saturday, as she breezed by Houston’s Kailey Meisinger, 6-0, 6-1, to pick up the Lady Tigers’ opening point of the contest. McIlhaney improved to 15-6 with her ninth-consecutive straight-set win.
“Amy’s on fire right now,” Minnis said. “Not only is she winning all of her matches, but she’s creaming people. I’m really proud with how she’s playing at the moment, and she deserves to be doing well, because she worked really hard during the offseason.”
Both Rocio Fantilli and Budd recorded singles wins for the Lady Tigers on courts No. 3 and No. 6. Fantilli downed Houston’s Analia Longoni, 6-2, 6-3, on court No. 3 and Budd knocked off Kandace Ridgeway on court No. 6, 6-1, 6-0.
The LSU women’s tennis team will look to remain undefeated at home on Sunday as the Lady Tigers host the 19th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies at 1 p.m.
LSU (7-1) def. Houston (4-2), 4-3.
Doubles
1. Borwell/Baccaroni (UH) def. Colosio/Fantilli, 8-4.
2. Keene/Longoni (UH) def. Mang/McIlhaney, 8-5.
3. Botts/Budd (LSU) def. Ridgeway/Meisinger, 8-2.
Singles
1. #8 Sarah Borwell (UH) def. Bruna Colosio, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
2. #87 Tami Botts (LSU) def. Jen Baccaroni, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
3. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. Analia Longoni, 6-2, 6-3.
4. Jo Keene (UH) def. Amanda Mang, 6-4, 6-1.
5. Amy McIlhaney (LSU) def. Kailey Meisinger, 6-0, 6-1.
6. Perri Budd (LSU) def. Kandace Ridgeway, 6-1, 6-0.