BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team (7-5, 1-3 SEC) dropped a 5-2 decision to 23rd-ranked Tennessee on Sunday to end a tough weekend of Southeastern Conference play.
“We fought hard,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “We’re playing really hard and competing, we’re just coming up a little short.”
The Lady Vols took the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. At the No. 1 position, Sabita Maharaj and Melissa Schaub beat Tiffany Tucker and Lauren Seaman, who was fighting through injury.
Amanda Mang and Staten Spencer of LSU kept LSU in the point with a win on court two. Daysi Espinal and Camila Caliari kept it close early in their match on court three, but Tennessee’s Bryce Marable and Blakely Griffith pulled away late to win, 8-4.
Minnis took Seaman out of the singles lineup, forcing most of the lineup to play higher positions without the usual court two starter.
“Losing Lauren was obviously a blow,” Minnis said.
Espinal fell quickly to Ghizela Schutte on court six, 6-3, 6-3. Tucker won her second match of the weekend on court four to put LSU on the board.
Spencer lost on court two to Schaub, giving Tennessee a 3-1 lead.
The three matches left on the court all were in third sets when Ashley Robards clinched the Tennessee win on court five over Camila Caliari.
Chiarelli also split sets against Marable. She won the last two to get the 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 win.
Mang won her first set on court one but struggled in the second. The senior, fresh off an upset of fourth-ranked Shadisha Robinson in Friday’s match, couldn’t hang on in the third and lost, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.
The Lady Tigers get a break next weekend after playing four top-25 opponents in five matches.
“We need some time to get people healthy,” Minnis said.
#23 Tennessee 5, #38 LSU 2
Singles competition:
1. #44 Sabita Maharaj (UT) def. Amanda Mang (LSU) 6-7, 6-1, 6-4
2. Blakely Griffith (UT) def. Staten Spencer (LSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Bryce Marable (UT) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
4. Tiffany Tucker (LSU) def. Victoria Jones (UT) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
5. Ashley Robards (UT) def. Camila Caliari (LSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
6. Ghizela Schutte (UT) def. Daysi Espinal (LSU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition:
1. Sabita Maharaj/Melissa Schaub (UT) def. Lauren Seaman/Tiffany Tucker (LSU) 8-2
2. Amanda Mang/Staten Spencer (LSU) def. Ashley Robards/Ghizela Schutte (UT) 8-4
3. Bryce Marable/Blakely Griffith (UT) def. Daysi Espinal/Camila Caliari (LSU) 8-4
Match Notes:
Tennessee 9-3, 3-1 SEC; National ranking #23
LSU 7-5, 1-3 SEC; National ranking #38
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,2,4,5,3,1)