NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 19-ranked Lady Tigers are riding a wave of success into this weekend’s SEC Tournament, where they will begin play Thursday at 8 a.m. against Arkansas.
LSU (16-6, 6-5 SEC) has won seven consecutive matches, its longest win streak since 1995. The same Lady Tiger team that began conference play 0-4 and ranked 62nd in the nation wrapped up the SEC Western Division title last Saturday in Baton Rouge against Arkansas.
But, according to head coach Tony Minnis, that won’t be a factor during this tournament.
“I expect Arkansas to come out and play tough,” he said. “We beat them here less than a week ago, but this is a neutral site. I am sure they are going to play with a lot of intensity.
“(The current win streak) could be good or bad, depending on how we react to it. If we take that and gain some confidence it should help us in our tournament matches.”
LSU has not won a match in the tournament since 2000, before any current member of the team came to the University.
LSU has not had any one player stand out above the rest, but rather several Lady Tigers have stepped up at clutch times. Sophomores Marina Chiarelli and Lauren Seaman are currently on seven-match singles win streaks, followed by junior Amanda Mang on a five-match tear.
Senior Rocio Fantilli has won her last two matches at No. 2 singles, including a victory over 81st-ranked Ilona Summers of Tulsa. LSU’s 50th-ranked senior, Jessica Ferguson, was named SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season a week ago after clinching LSU’s 4-3 win over Alabama at No. 1 singles.
A win Thursday would set up a rematch between the Lady Tigers and Tennessee, which beat LSU, 6-1 on March 7 in Knoxville. LSU was ranked 62nd at that time. The Lady Tigers have won eight of their nine matches since then.