AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU women’s tennis team rebounded from Friday’s 7-0 loss against Alabama to defeat Auburn, 5-2, on Sunday in a Southeastern Conference duel here at the Luther Young Tennis Complex in Auburn, Ala.
“We played some very good tennis today,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “I think that our players had a better sense of what they were getting into versus an SEC opponent, and they were more prepared. Right now, we just need to build on this win and get ready for both South Carolina and Florida next week.”
LSU (7-4, 1-1 SEC) won the doubles point and accumulated three straight-set victories in singles play to earn its first conference win of the season.
The Bayou Bengals’ No. 2 and No. 3 doubles combinations earned 8-4 victories over their Auburn counterparts on Sunday. LSU’s tandem of Jessica Ferguson and Amanda Mang defeated Isabel Rosenbrock and Martina Janska on court No. 2, while the Lady Tigers’ tandem of Daysi Espinal and Camila Caliari dropped Sarah Suitor and Ashley Cowart in the No. 3 doubles competition.
In singles play, LSU earned wins from Rocio Fantilli, Amanda Mang, Marina Chiarelli and Caliari.
Fantilli knocked off Auburn’s 93rd-ranked Carolina Ramirez, 6-4, 6-2, on court No. 1, while Mang outlasted No. 108 Rosenbrock in a three-set marathon on court No. 3, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2. With the victory, Mang improved to 7-3 in dual-match play this season.
LSU’s pair of highly-touted Brazilian players, Caliari and Chiarelli, each handily defeated their Auburn opponents on Sunday. Caliari disposed of Cowart, 6-1, 6-3, on court No. 6, while Chiarelli breezed past Suitor, 6-0, 6-1, in the No.4 singles contest. Caliari owns an impressive 10-3 overall mark on the season.
With the win, the Lady Tigers’ snapped Auburn’s five-match winning streak and registered their second road victory of the 2003 campaign. LSU swept Houston, 7-0, in its first road contest.
Auburn (8-2, 1-1) lost only its second home match of the season on Sunday. On Feb. 2, the War Eagles were defeated by Georgia Tech, 5-2.
“Auburn is the defending SEC Western Division champion and they have a talented squad this season,” Minnis said. “I think that we just did an outstanding job of winning the doubles point and then being able to maintain the momentum throughout the singles competition.”
The LSU women’s tennis team will next be in action on Friday, March 7, as the Lady Tigers host the 16th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks at 4 p.m. at the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Admission is free to all LSU home tennis matches and refreshments will be provided by the Tennis Tiger Athletic Foundation.
LSU (7-4, 1-1) def. Auburn (8-2, 1-1), 5-2
Doubles
1. #40 Bercik/Ramirez (AU) def. Fantilli/Lauren Seaman (LSU), 8-6
2. Ferguson/Mang (LSU) def. Rosenbrock/Martina Janska (AU), 8-4
3. Espinal/Caliari (LSU) def. Suitor/Cowart (AU), 8-4
Singles
1. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. #93 Carolina Ramirez (AU), 6-4, 6-2
2. Petra Bercik (AU) def. Jessica Ferguson (LSU), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5)
3. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. #108 Isabel Rosenbrock (AU), 0-6, 7-5, 6-2
4. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Sarah Suitor (AU), 6-0, 6-1
5. Liz Sauerborn (AU) def. Daysi Espinal (LSU), 6-3, 6-3
6. Camila Caliari (LSU) def. Ashley Cowart (AU), 6-1, 6-3