ANN ARBOR, Mich. — LSU won five of its seven matches Sunday in the final day of the Michigan Invitational. The Lady Tigers won four singles matches over Georgia Tech. Jessica Ferguson and Marina Chiarelli also picked up a doubles win.
Ferguson capped a big weekend with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Lyndsay Shosho. Ferguson, a senior from Houston, competed Friday for the first time since last spring. She beat Michigan’s Chrissie Nolan, 7-6(4), 7-6(7) in her first match of the weekend. She then moved to the No. 1 spot for the Lady Tigers and beat Eastern Michigan’s Victoria Domina. She and Chiarelli also won all three of their doubles matches.
“Jessica has really impressed me,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “She has picked up her game from last year and she’s playing really, really well this weekend.”
Sophomore Lauren Seaman came back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set of her singles match to beat Georgia Tech’s Kacie Anson, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. Chiarelli had a good day in singles as well, beating No. 98 Kelly Anderson, 6-4, 6-3.
It was a rough weekend for the Lady Tigers highly-ranked doubles team of Seaman and Rocio Fantilli. The pair, which was ranked 38th in the ITA preseason poll and third in the Southwest in last month’s poll, dropped three matches at No. 1 doubles.
Minnis was happy with his team’s progress at the end of the tournament. “I was really pleased,” he said. “We competed hard and we played with the consistency that we are going to need this season.”
The Lady Tigers begin regular dual matches January 24 with two home matches against Centenary and UL-Lafayette.
MICHIGAN INVITATIONAL
DAY THREE RESULTS
Singles
LSU vs. Georgia Tech
1. Jessica Ferguson (LSU) d. Lyndsay Shosho, 6-4, 7-5
2. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) d. # 98 Kelly Anderson, 6-4, 6-3
3. Alison Silverio (GT) d. Rocio Fantilli, 6-1, 6-2
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) d. Sekita Grant, 6-4, 6-3
5. Camila Caliari (LSU) d. Lindsey Stauss
6. Lauren Seaman (LSU) d. Kacie Anson, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Doubles
EMU vs. LSU
1. Domina/Clark (EMU) d. Fantilli/Seaman, 8-2
2. Ferguson/Chiarelli (LSU) d. Loose/Lincaru, 8-5