BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team swept the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks on Sunday, 7-0, as the Lady Tigers were led by seniors Bruna Colosio, Tami Botts and Amy McIlhaney in their final match at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“We played well today considering that we had such a heartbreaking loss against Oregon yesterday,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We looked a lot better and because of our strength of schedule, we have a good chance to make the NCAA Tournament. It looks like we’re going to play Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Tournament and we need to knock them off in order to solidify a spot.”
With the win, LSU upped its overall record on the season to 12-11 and finished with a winning record for the eighth-consecutive year. The Lady Tigers also improved to 3-8 against Southeastern Conference opponents and earned a fourth-place finish in the Western Division. LSU will begin competition in the SEC Tournament on Thursday in Columbia, S.C.
The Lady Tigers dominated a struggling Arkansas team on Sunday and handed the Lady Razorbacks their fifth-straight loss. Arkansas finished its regular season with an overall record of 6-15 and a winless 0-11 mark in SEC play.
The Lady Razorbacks were forced to play with only five players against LSU due to a recent rash of injuries.
LSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the contest as Arkansas was forced to default on court No. 3 and the Lady Tigers’ 34th-ranked doubles pair of Rocio Fantilli and Colosio breezed by the duo of Anna Dybicz and Megan Ferreira, 8-1, on court No. 1. The victory solidified the doubles point for LSU and improved Colosio and Fantilli’s overall doubles record to 13-7.
In the No. 2 doubles match, LSU seniors McIlhaney and Botts paired up to knock off the Lady Razorbacks’ combination of Adriana Lopez and Iliana Pacheco, 8-6. With the win, McIlhaney and Botts upped their record as a tandem to an impressive 7-2 mark on the season.
The LSU seniors also stole the show during singles play as the Lady Tigers cruised to straight-set victories on all five courts. The three LSU seniors cruised to quick victories over their Arkansas counterparts on courts No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5.
Colosio, the Lady Tigers’ three-time All-American and 65th-ranked singles player in the nation, dropped Arkansas’ Lopez, 6-1, 6-3, on court No. 1, while LSU’s Botts rallied past the Lady Razorbacks’ Ferreira on court No. 3, 6-3, 6-0.
Despite the brilliant straight-set wins, Botts and Colosio were outdone by their senior teammate McIlhaney who didn’t lose a game against Christian Kincannon on court No. 5. The Lady Tigers’ fiery competitor from Marietta, Ga., defeated Kincannon, 6-0, 6-0.
“These seniors have meant a lot for us over the past four years,” Minnis said. “They’ve been a part of three-straight NCAA Tournaments and they’ve been pretty consistent for us. We’ve had a great stretch while they’ve been here and it’s going to be so sad to see them go.”
The Lady Tigers’ Amanda Mang and Fantilli added the final two singles victories on Sunday. Mang, LSU’s freshman from New Orleans, overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first set to earn a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 4, while Fantilli overpowered Arkansas’ Dybicz, 6-2, 6-4, on court No. 2. With the win, Fantilli earned her third-straight singles victory and improved to an overall record of 16-21 on the season.
The LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Thursday, April 18, as the Lady Tigers will competed at the SEC Tournament being held in Columbia, S.C. The matchups have not been finalized by the conference officials, but it looks as if the Lady Tigers will face No. 17 Kentucky in the first round of competition. LSU upset Kentucky, 4-3, earlier this season.
LSU 7, Arkansas 0
Doubles
1. #34 Colosio/Fantilli (LSU) def. A. Dybicz/Ferreira (UA), 8-1*
2. Botts/McIlhaney (LSU) def. Lopez/Pacheco (UA), 8-6
3. LSU won by default.
Singles
1. #65 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. Adriana Lopez (UA), 6-1, 6-3
2. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. Anna Dybicz (UA), 6-2, 6-4
3. Tami Botts (LSU) def. Megan Ferreira (UA), 6-3, 6-0*
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. Iliana Pacheco (UA), 6-4, 6-1
5. Amy McIlhaney (LSU) def. Christian Kincannon (UA), 6-0, 6-0
6. LSU won by default.
Overall Records: LSU 12-11 (3-8), Arkansas 6-15 (0-11)