BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team took an early lead but fell just short in its match Tuesday against Kansas, 4-3, at W.T. Robinson Tennis Stadium.
The Lady Tigers won the doubles point and went ahead 3-2 in singles, needing just one more win headed to third sets on both courts No. 1 and 2.
But neither Mykala Hedberg nor Marina Chiarelli could grind out a victory on their respective courts, and Kansas seized the match from LSU in comeback fashion, 4-3.
Hedberg’s loss to Ksenia Bukina tied the score at 3-all, and then Elizaveta Avdeeva clinched the match for the Jayhawks with her 6-2 win over Chiarelli on court two.
“Our kids fought hard and gave some great effort, but Kansas just played their heart out,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said. “They played a great match and were able to pull it away from us in the end.”
LSU’s record dropped to 8-6 (0-4 Southeastern Conference), while Kansas brought their record back above .500 to 7-6 (0-4 Big XII). The loss was only LSU’s second this year to a non-conference opponent.
The Lady Tigers began the match just as they had in all their wins this season by capturing the doubles point. Chiarelli and Anastasiya Dubova controlled their match on court two, defeating Lauren Hommel and Edina Horvath, 8-4.
Camila Caliari and Daysi Espinal came from behind in their match on court three to clinch the doubles point for LSU over Christine Skoda and Stephanie Smith, 8-6.
Hedberg and Tiffany Tucker tried for the sweep on court one, but the duo fell just short. Behind 7-4 to Avdeeva and Bukina, they fought back to make it 7-6, but couldn’t break the Kansas duo’s serve and lost 8-6.
LSU lost the first completed singles match as well, as Caliari dropped a straight-sets decision to Horvath on court five, 6-4, 6-0.
Espinal grabbed the second point for LSU by downing Smith on court six, 6-0, 6-3, but Kansas quickly evened the contest back at 2-all when Hommel defeated Tucker on court four, 6-2, 6-4.
Dubova put LSU back on top by upending Skoda on the No. 3 court, 6-2, 7-5. It wouldn’t be enough, though, as the Lady Tigers lost the remaining matches on courts one and two.
LSU goes on the road this weekend for two SEC matches at South Carolina and Florida.
MATCH RESULTS
#74 Kansas 4, #48 LSU 3
Singles
1. Ksenia Bukina (KU) def. Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Elizaveta Avdeeva (KU) def. Marina Chiarelli (LSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
3. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) def. Christine Skoda (KU) 6-2, 7-5
4. Lauren Hommel (KU) def. Tiffany Tucker (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Edina Horvath (KU) def. Camila Caliari (LSU) 6-4, 6-0
6. Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Stephanie Smith (KU) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
1. Elizaveta Avdeeva/Ksenia Bukina (KU) def. Mykala Hedberg/Tiffany Tucker (LSU) 8-6
2. Marina Chiarelli/Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) def. Lauren Hommel/Edina Horvath (KU) 8-4
3. Camila Caliari/Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Christine Skoda/Stephanie Smith (KU) 8-6
Match Notes
LSU #48 8-6 (0-4 SEC)
Kansas #74 7-6 (0-4 Big XII)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1) Singles (5,6,4,3,1,2)