BATON ROUGE — The 11th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols beat LSU, 6-1, on Friday afternoon in women’s tennis action at W.T. “Dub Robinson Stadium in Baton Rouge.
The Lady Tigers fell to 7-7 overall and 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee, a national semifinalist last year, improved to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
“It was a tough match. We fought hard but we were just outmatched. Tennessee played real well today,” said LSU coach Tony Minnis. “They are playing with a lot of confidence right now and are really tough at the top of their lineup.
Crystal Cleveland, ranked 56th in the nation, set the tone early in singles for the Lady Vols with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jessica Ferguson to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
Third-ranked Vilmarie Castellvi scored a 6-0, 6-2 win over Rocio Fantilli at No. 1 and Ashley Robards beat Camila Caliari, 6-2, 6-4 on court five to extend the lead to 4-0 and clinch the victory.
With the match in hand, LSU’s Lauren Seamen scored the only point for LSU with her 6-4, 6-2 win over Majen Immink at No. 6.
“Lauren has really stepped her game up and I am really proud of the way she is playing,” said Minnis of Seamen. “She is going to be a heck of a player one day.”
In tightly contested doubles action, Tennessee escaped with wins on all three courts to win the point and take a 1-0 lead. The tandem of Tammy Encina and Majen Immink worked quickly in beating Ferguson and Marina Chiarelli, 8-6, at No. 2.
Cleveland and Sabita Maharaj held off late charge by Daysi Espinal and Caliari to win on court three, 9-7, and clinch the point.
“We played real well in the doubles and shots to win it,” added Minnis.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Sunday when they host No. 3 Georgia at 1 p.m.
LSU Women’s Tennis
#11 Tennessee 6, LSU 1
March 14, 2003
Baton Rouge, La.
Doubles
No. 1. – #5 Castellvi/Schaub (UT) def. Fantilli/Seaman (LSU), 8-5.
No. 2. – #36 Immink/Tammy Encina (UT) def. Ferguson/Chiarelli (LSU), 8-6.
No. 3. – Cleveland/Maharaj (UT) def. Caliari/Espinal (LSU), 9-7.
Note: Cleveland/Maharaj clinched the point on court three.
Singles
No. 1. – #3 Vilmarie Castellvi (UT) def. Rocio Fantilli (LSU), 6-0, 6-2.
No. 2. – #56 Crystal Cleveland (UT) def. Jessica Ferguson (LSU), 6-2, 6-1.
No. 3. – Melissa Schaub (UT) def. Marina Chiarelli (LSU), 6-4, 7-5.
No. 4. – Sabita Maharaj (UT) def. Daysi Espinal (LSU), 6-4, 6-3.
No. 5. – Ashley Robards (UT) def. Camila Caliari (LSU), 6-2, 6-4.
No. 6. – Lauren Seamen (LSU) def. Majen Immink (UT), 6-4, 6-2.
Note: Robards clinched the match on court five.