GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU women’s tennis team continues its conference road trip Sunday, set to face the sixth-ranked Gators on Sunday at noon CT in Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The Lady Tigers (8-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) lost another tough SEC match Friday, falling to No. 34 South Carolina, 6-1.
“We’re coming toward the end of our season, and we really need to continue heading in the right direction,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said. “It’s important that we have the right mindset going into a big match like this and bring our best no matter what the circumstances.”
Florida’s match against Arkansas on Friday resulted in a 7-0 win by the Gators. They are now 11-1 overall with an unblemished 5-0 SEC mark. Their only loss this year was a 4-3 contest at North Carolina.
Florida, the most dominant tennis program in the SEC and one of the tops in the nation, holds the advantage in the all-time series. In fact, the Lady Tigers have never defeated the Gators, who are 30-0 in the teams’ match-ups.
In addition, Florida has lost only one match at Linder Stadium to a conference opponent in its history, posting a remarkable 128-1 record at that facility against SEC foes.
“Florida has consistently been one of the top two programs in the nation for the last 20 years,” Minnis said. “You have to take your shots, that’s why we play matches like that.”
Individually, Florida places four competitors in the singles rankings. Diana Srebrovic is ranked fourth, Alexis Gordon 37th, Boglarka Berecz 46th and Whitney Benik 87th. In addition Srebrovic and partner Lolita Frangulyan list at No. 47 in the doubles rankings.
More than anything, Minnis is looking for his team to play with the intensity it lacked early in the year and has been building throughout the season.
“We’re really starting to put it together as a team, but right now that’s not enough,” he said. “We’re hungry for a win and need to play like we are capable of across the board if we are going to get one.”
The Gators are the last SEC Eastern Division opponent LSU will face this season, as they begin competition with fellow members of the West with a road trip to Ole Miss and Mississippi State next weekend.