BATON ROUGE — Jessica Ferguson won a three-set marathon at No. 1 singles Friday over Alabama’s 37th-ranked Robin Stephenson to clinch a 4-3 win for LSU (13-6, 5-5 SEC). The Lady Tigers’ victory over the No. 23 Crimson Tide leaves them one win away from an SEC Western Division title.
“That was about the hardest-fought match I’ve ever coached,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “Alabama fought so hard. Our kids–it was just pure guts. They’ve been fighting injuries the whole year. I can’t say enough about the determination to battle through a five-hour match like they did.”
If LSU can beat Arkansas next Saturday at home, they will own the team’s first Western Division title since 2001. The Lady Tigers have won their past four matches after a 1-5 start in conference play.
With the team score knotted at 3-3, Stephenson won a second-set tiebreaker to extend her battle with Ferguson. Ferguson took a quick 5-1 lead in the third set, but Stephenson was not finished.
Stephenson, a two-time SEC Player of the week, has beaten the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked players in the nation. She pulled up to 5-4 but double-faulted on match point to give Ferguson a 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 win.
“For Jessica to have that type of battle with someone who beat the first-and second-ranked players in the nation, and come out on top, says a lot about her improvement from the beginning of the spring to now,” Minnis said. Ferguson has won her last three matches and is 13-9 this spring.
Ferguson and Marina Chiarelli won their match on doubles court No. 2. However, Lauren Seaman and Rocio Fantilli on lost on court No. 1, 8-4, to Alabama’s 35th-ranked duo of Ashley Bentley and Stephenson.
Daysi Espinal and Camila Caliari could not complete their comeback on court No. 3, falling to Nathalie Koppelle and Mari Muller, 8-6 and giving Alabama the doubles point.
Junior Amanda Mang put LSU on the board with a 6-0, 6-4 win on court No. 4 over Alabama’s Millie Begovic. Seaman and Chiarelli soon followed with wins of their own on courts No. 5 and No. 3.
LSU led their sets on all three remaining courts with the match score 3-1. Fantilli battled back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to a 7-5 win in the second. She could not complete the comeback and lost, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 to 57th-ranked Bentley.
Caliari lost two tiebreaker sets to Melissa Minor to tie the overall match score and set up the must-win situation for Ferguson.
The Tigers play three matches over their spring break this week, beginning with a trip to Tulsa on Thursday.
#25 LSU 4, #23 Alabama 3
Singles competition:
1. #62 Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. #37 Robin Stephenson (ALA) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4
2. #57 Ashley Bentley (ALA) def. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
3. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Nathalie Koppelle (ALA) 6-4, 6-2
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) def. Millie Begovic (ALA) 6-0, 6-4
5. Melissa Minor (ALA) def. Camila Caliari (LSU) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6)
6. Lauren Seaman (LSU) def. Mari Muller (ALA) 6-2, 7-5
Doubles competition:
1. #35 Robin Stephenson/Ashley Bentley (ALA) def. Rocio Fantilli/Lauren Seaman (LSU) 8-4
2. Marina Chiarelli/Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. Millie Begovic/Melissa Minor (ALA) 8-3
3. Nathalie Koppelle/Mari Muller (ALA) def. Daysi Espinal/Camila Caliari (LSU) 8-6
Match Notes:
Alabama 10-8; National ranking #23
LSU 13-6, 5-5 SEC; National ranking #25
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3) Singles (4,3,6,2,5,1)
Clinchers: Doubles (3) Match (1)