BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team opened its 2003 dual-match season with a pair of shutout victories on Saturday as the Lady Tigers swept both Louisiana Tech and Centenary, 7-0, at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
“We played very well today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “I thought that we played good, especially for a young team coming out to begin the season. We competed well in both of our matches and I’m just very excited, because we have a good squad here. There are still some things that we need to work on, but a lot of our mistakes can be attributed to our youth.”
LSU (2-0) had four players compile two singles wins on Saturday and didn’t relinquish a set to either Louisiana Tech or Centenary. With the victories, the Lady Tiger tennis team remained undefeated against both the Lady Techsters and Ladies and improved its all-time record versus Louisiana Tech to 6-0 and Centenary to 16-0.
Junior Rocio Fantilli led the way for the Lady Tigers on Saturday and upped her overall singles record on the season to 9-4. The high-powered native of Puerto Madryn, Argentina, is currently recognized as the 116th-ranked player in the nation.
LSU’s five talented newcomers provided a boost for the Lady Tigers against both Louisiana Tech and Centenary. Jessica Ferguson and Camila Caliari each picked up a pair of singles victories, while freshmen Marina Chiarelli, Daysi Espinal and Lauren Seaman earned one win apiece.
“We took care of business out there today,” Minnis said. “We played well all the way up and down the lineup and it’s always good just to get back into the flow of playing dual matches again. With a lot of younger players on the team, it was good for us to get these first matches out of the way and to pick up a couple of wins.”
LSU sophomore Amanda Mang picked up wins over Louisiana Tech’s Holly Ready, 6-3, 6-3, and Centenary’s Elizabeth Pitts, 6-0, 6-0, on Saturday to even her overall record on the season at 8-8. Last season, Mang led the Lady Tigers with 23 wins during singles play as a freshman.
The LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Saturday, Feb. 1, as the Lady Tigers host both Southern and Louisiana-Monroe in a morning doubleheader beginning at 9 a.m. at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Admission is free to all LSU home tennis matches.
LSU def. Louisiana Tech, 7-0
Doubles
1. Ferguson/Mang (LSU) def. Duque/Ready (LT), 8-0
2. Caliari/Espinal (LSU) def. Longbotham/Uriarte (LT), 8-3
3. Bonnie White/Lauren Seaman (LSU) def. Majors/Landry (LT), 8-2
Singles
1. Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. Sarahie Uriarte (LT), 6-0, 6-1
2. #116 Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. Anabella Duque (LT), 6-0, 6-1
3. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. Holly Ready (LT), 6-3, 6-3
4. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Morgan Majors (LT), 6-2, 6-0
5. Camila Caliari (LSU) def. Morgan Majors (LT), 6-2, 6-0
6. Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Daniel Landry (LT), 6-0, 6-0
LSU def. Centenary, 7-0
Doubles
1. #60 Fantilli/Seaman (LSU) def. Schmidt/Kelley (CC), 8-4
2. Caliari/Espinal (LSU) def. Pitts/Smith (CC), 8-1
3. Centenary conceded the court.
Singles
1. #116 Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. Anja Schmidt (CC), 6-0, 7-5
2. Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. Heather Kelley (CC), 6-0, 6-0
3. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. Elizabeth Pitts (CC), 6-0, 6-0
4. Camila Caliari (LSU) def. Brandy Smith (CC), 6-2, 6-0
5. Lauren Seaman (LSU) def. Kristin Kraus (CC), 6-0, 6-0
6. Centenary conceded the point
Overall Records: LSU 2-0, Centenary 0-2, Louisiana Tech 0-1