STARKVILLE, Miss. — The LSU women’s tennis team won its second-consecutive Southeastern Conference match in convincing fashion of Friday, as the Lady Tigers blanked Mississippi State, 7-0, on the road in Starkville, Miss.
“We played extremely well today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We came into the match with a great deal of momentum after upsetting Kentucky on Monday, and I believe that we used that today to gain an even greater amount of momentum. I’m extremely proud of this team for how they competed today.”
LSU won the doubles point and cruised to victories on all six singles courts. With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to an overall record of 10-9 on the season and upped its conference record to 2-7. Mississippi State fell to a 4-14 overall record and dropped its ninth-straight SEC loss of the season. The Lady Bulldogs own a dismal 0-9 record against conference opponents.
In doubles play, LSU earned victories on courts No. 1 and No. 2 to take an early 1-0 lead in the contest. The Lady Tigers’ 34th-ranked combination of Bruna Colosio and Rocio Fantilli cruised to an 8-2 win on court No. 1, while LSU’s duo comprised of Tami Botts and Amy McIlhaney dominated Carole Soubis and Yumi Ueda, 8-0, on court No. 2.
The Lady Tigers notched straight-set victories on three of the six courts on Friday. Colosio, the 65th-ranked singles player in the nation won her sixth-straight match on court No. 1, 6-4, 6-4, to secure LSU’s victory. With the win, Colosio upped her overall record on the season to 12-7.
LSU’s Fantilli added a 6-4, 6-0 victory on court No. 2, while Botts outlasted Mississippi State’s Camila Sagae, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 on court No. 3 and Amy McIlhaney dropped Justyna Swetala, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, in the No. 5 singles contest.
Talented LSU freshmen, Amanda Mang and Perri Budd, were each victorious on Friday. Budd, a native of Atlanta, Ga., recorded a come-from-behind win over the Lady Bulldogs’ Yumi Ueda, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, on court No. 2 to earn her first SEC victory of the season. Mang earned her third-consecutive win on court No. 4 as Mississippi State’s Elaine Fagan was forced to retire in the second set. Mang cruised to a 6-1 win in the first set of the contest.
The LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Sunday, as the Lady Tigers remain on the road to face Ole Miss at 1 p.m. in Oxford, Miss.
LSU 7, Mississippi State 0
Doubles
1. Bruna Colosio/Rocio Fantilli (LSU) d. Magdolna Rekasi/Camila Sagae (MSU) 8-2
2. Tami Botts/Amy McIlhaney (LSU) d. Carole Soubis/Yumi Ueda (MSU) 8-0
3. Elaine Fagan/Justyna Switala (MSU) d. Perri Budd/Amanda Mang (LSU) 8-5
Singles
1. #65 Colosio (LSU) d. Soubis (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Fantilli (LSU) d. Rekasi (MSU) 6-4, 6-0
3. Botts (LSU) d. Sagae (MSU) 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5
4. Mang (LSU) d. Fagan (MSU) 6-1, ret.
5. McIlhaney (LSU) d. Switala (MSU) 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2
6. Budd (LSU) d. Ueda (MSU) 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4