COLUMBIA, S.C. — The LSU women’s tennis team was knocked out of the 2002 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday as the Lady Tigers fell to the 16th-ranked Kentucky Lady Wildcats, 4-1, at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
“We didn’t really play that well today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We’ve played a lot better at times during the season, but we just didn’t show it against Kentucky. Right now, we just have to sit back and wait to see if we made the tournament. We’ve played a brutal schedule this season and we have a huge impact win, so depending on how the committee looks at it, we have a chance to make the tournament.”
The Lady Tigers (12-12) lost the crucial doubles point on Thursday as Kentucky earned victories on courts No. 1 and No. 3. The Lady Cats’ pair of Amy Trefethen and Jill Buckley defeated LSU’s duo of Amanda Mang and Perri
Budd on court No. 3, 8-5, while the Lady Tigers’ Tami Botts and Amy McIlhaney dropped Kentucky’s Lauren Rookledge and Leigh Bradwell, 8-5, on court No. 2.
With the teams splitting wins on doubles courts No. 2 and No. 3, the doubles point came down to a matchup of top-ranked opponents on court No. 1. In the heavy-weight contest, Kentucky’s seventh-ranked pair of Carolina Mayorga and Sarah Witten earned the opening point of the first-round contest by outlasting the Lady Tigers’ No. 19 ranked tandem of Bruna Colosio and Rocio Fantilli, 8-5. The loss was Colosio and Fantilli’s first in seven matches.
In singles play, the Lady Wildcats earned four victories to take the match.
LSU’s lone win came on court No. 1 as the Lady Tigers’ 41st-ranked Colosio notched the team’s only singles victory by dropping Witten in straight sets.
With the 6-2, 6-2 win, LSU’s three-time All-American from Cascaval, Brazil, upped her overall record to 16-8 on the season.
Colosio’s handy victory on court No. 1 moved her into a tie for 10th-place on the all-time LSU win list with 95. She tied former Lady Tiger great Carol Boston with a win and notched her sixth victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The LSU women’s tennis team’s postseason future will be determined on Wednesday, May 1, as the NCAA Tournament draw will be released by the national committee at 6 p.m.
#16 Kentucky 4, LSU 1
Doubles
1. #7 Mayorga/Witten (UK) def. #19 Colosio/Fantilli (LSU), 8-5*
2. Botts/McIlhaney (LSU) def. Rookledge/Bradwell (UK), 8-5
3. Trefethen/Buckley (UK) def. Mang/Budd (LSU), 8-5
Singles
1. #41 Bruna Colosio (LSU) def. #57 Sarah Witten (UK), 6-2, 6-2
2. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) vs. #43 Carolina Mayorga (UK), suspended
3. Lauren Rookledge (UK) def. Tami Botts (LSU), 6-4, 6-2
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) vs. Amy Trefethen (UK), suspended
5. Jill Buckley (UK) def. Amy McIlhaney (LSU), 6-1, 6-0*
6. Leigh Bradwell (UK) def. Perri Budd (LSU), 6-1, 6-2
Overall Records: LSU 12-12, Kentucky 16-7