GAINESVILLE, Fla. — LSU will open its Southeastern Conference schedule Friday at 4 p.m. against defending national champion Florida in its second match of the week in the Sunshine State.
The Lady Tigers (7-1) notched 4-3 a win against Florida State this past Sunday in Tallahassee, but they might be more vulnerable against the second-ranked Lady Gators without injured junior Amanda Mang.
Mang, who is undefeated at No. 1 doubles with Rocio Fantilli and has been solid at the top of the singles lineup, suffered a hand injury this week. She could be out of the lineup indefinitely, said head coach Tony Minnis.
“It is going to be challenging without her,” Minnis said. “But we’ve been playing well and we need to stay focused on doing that.”
The Lady Tigers will turn to the rest of its roster for wins in a tough environment at Florida. Senior Jessica Ferguson is currently ranked 77th in the nation. She has spent most of the season at No. 1 singles and is looking to rebound from two tough losses in the last two matches.
LSU sophomores Marina Chiarelli, Camila Caliari, Daysi Espinal and Lauren Seaman have amassed a 19-3 record at the bottom three singles positions this year. Wins at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles were responsible for the win over Florida State.
The Lady Tigers have thrived on their doubles strength all season. Mang and Fantilli entered the rankings at 48th this week, but LSU has been tough at the bottom two positions as well.
Ferguson and Chiarelli are 5-2 at No. 2 doubles in the dual season. LSU has only lost the doubles point once this year in their only team loss of the season at Southern Methodist.
Florida is 4-0 this season and has won 21 consecutive regular season games. The Lady Gators have not lost a match in Gainesville since 2002.
“We are in a tough position, but we are going to try to go in there and steal a victory,” Minnis said.