NASHVILLE — LSU’s 19th-ranked Lady Tigers tennis team, the No. 5 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, defeated 12th-seed Arkansas 4-0 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament at Vanderbilt’s Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center on Thursday morning.
The victory was LSU’s (17-6) eighth straight and the program’s first SEC Tournament win since 2000.
Sophomore Marina Chiarelli led the Lady Tigers with her eighth straight singles win, defeating Arkansas’ Megan Ferreira in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-0. Teammate Rocio Fantilli defeated Iliana Pacheco 6-0, 2-6, 6-2, while Daysi Espinal got past Arkansas’ Christian Kincannon 6-0 and 6-1 in singles play.
The duo of Fantilli and Lauren Seaman won their doubles match, defeating Dybics and Ferreira 8-2, while LSU’s pair of Espinal and Amanda Mang defeated Pacheco and Kincannon 8-3 to help LSU earn the doubles point.
LSU will face No. 4 seed and 24th-ranked Tennessee on Friday at 8 a.m. CDT in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Lady Vols defeated the Lady Tigers 6-1 earlier this season in Knoxville.
#5 LSU def. #12 Arkansas, 4-0
Doubles
1. Fantilli/Seaman (LSU) def. Dybics/Ferreira (UA), 8-2
2. Chiarelli/Ferguson (LSU) vs. Cornett Morton (UA), 7-6 susp.
3. Espinal/Mang (LSU) def. Pacheco/Kincannon (UA), 8-3
Order of finish: 1, 3*
Singles
1. Anna Dybicz (UA) led Jessica Ferguson (LSU), 0-6, 6-4, 4-1 susp.
2. Rocio Fantilli (LSU) def. Iliana Pacheco (UA), 6-0, 2-6, 6-2
3. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Megan Ferreira (UA), 6-1, 6-0
4. Amanda Mang (LSU) vs. Melissa Cornett (UA), 6-2, 3-6, 4-1 susp.
5. Lauren Seaman (LSU) vs. Whitney Morton (UA), 6-4, 4-5 susp.
6. Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Christian Kincannon (UA), 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2*