COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The LSU women’s tennis team begins its fall slate Friday at the Maryland Invitational hosted by the University of Maryland.
Six other teams will compete with the Lady Tigers, including host Maryland, Duke, Notre Dame, Washington State, West Virginia and Yale, who finished ranked No. 17 in the country a year ago.
“We’re excited to get back out there competing again, and we should have a good start at this Maryland tournament,” head coach Tony Minnis said.
In singles, senior Lauren Seaman and freshman Mykala Hedberg will compete in the “A” flight. Seaman’s first-round opponent, Clelia Deltour, ranks at No. 99 in singles by the ITA.
Senior Marina Chiarelli and sophomore Tiffany Tucker represent the Lady Tigers in the “B” flight. Tucker will face Maryland’s Neda Mihneva in the opening round while Chiarelli sits out with a bye.
Anastasiya Dubova and Camila Caliari will play in the “C” flight, and Daysi Espinal will round out LSU’s singles competitors with a first-round bye in the “D” flight.
In doubles competition, the No. 60-ranked duo of Seaman and Tucker will face off against Duke’s No. 11 pair of Daniela Bercek and Jessi Robinson in the first round of flight “A” play.
Chiarelli and Hedberg will pair up in the “B” flight against a Yale duo, and Caliari and Dubova will also face a Yale opponent in flight “C”.
Minnis said his team is looking at this tournament as a chance to monitor progress and also to work on the things that need improvement.
“We have seven players returning, and this should be a great opportunity for us to get an early look at our strengths and weaknesses so we know what improvements need to be made,” he commented.