STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 25-ranked Lady Tigers used dominant singles play to take down Mississippi State, 5-2, Sunday at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
LSU (11-6, 3-5) won their second consecutive SEC match after beating Ole Miss, 4-3, on Friday.
“I am really happy with this team right now,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “The only thing is in doubles, we have too much of a roller coaster with intensity. We need more consistency there.”
The Lady Tigers lost the doubles point despite Camila Caliari and Daysi Espinal’s shutout on court No. 3 over State’s Marcelle Hirt and Justyna Swytala. The win was Caliari and Espinal’s fourth straight.
Amanda Mang entered the doubles lineup for the first time in over a month. She and Rocio Fantilli lost, 8-3 on Court No. 1. Jessica Ferguson and Marina Chiarelli also fell, 8-5, on court No. 2.
The Lady Tigers fired back in singles with first-set wins on all six courts.
“They came out with their backs against the wall in singles,” Minnis said. “We gave up 10 games in all six first sets.”
Mang rebounded with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Magdi Rekasi at No. 4 singles. Espinal’s stellar doubles play carried over to singles, where she beat Yumi Ueda, 6-3, 6-1, to clinch the match.
Ferguson, Chiarelli and Lauren Seaman also added singles wins on courts 1, 3 and 5. Rocio Fantilli recorded LSU’s only singles loss, a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 decision on court No. 2.
The Lady Tigers return home next weekend to face Auburn and Alabama.
LSU 5, Mississippi State 2
Doubles
1. Kugakolova/Rekasi (MSU) def. Fantilli/Mang (LSU) 8-3
2. Rudman/Rudman (MSU) def. Chiarelli/Ferguson (LSU) 8-5
3. Caliari/Espinal (LSU) def.Hirt/Switala (MSU) 8-0
Order of match finish…3,2,1
Singles
1. #62 Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. Marcelle Hirt (MSU) 6-1, 7-5
2. Anastasia Kugakolova (MSU) def. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Tarryn Rudman (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. Magdi Rekasi (MSU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Lauren Seaman (LSU) def. Hayley Rudman (MSU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Yumi Ueda (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
Order of match finish…5,1,4,6,3,2