BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s tennis team looks for back-to-back conference wins when No. 31 Alabama comes to Baton Rouge for a match Friday at 4 p.m.
The Lady Tigers are fresh off their first Southeastern Conference win over Mississippi State on Sunday, as they defeated the Bulldogs, 5-2. That win evened their record at 9-9 (1-7 SEC).
LSU is 7-4 in home matches this year, and head coach Tony Minnis stressed the importance of winning at home at such a crucial stretch of SEC play.
“We have the chance to pick up a really big win if we take care of business at home,” he said. “It should be a great match between two good teams.”
Alabama travels to Baton Rouge as the SEC Western Division leaders with an 8-8 overall mark and a 4-4 SEC record. They are coming off a 4-3 upset of South Carolina in Tuscaloosa.
“Alabama’s had a really good year,” Minnis said. “They’ve lost some close ones and also had some good, quality wins.”
The Tide are anchored by seniors Robin Stephenson and Ashley Bentley at the top of their lineup. Stephenson currently ranks 14th by the ITA and boasts a 21-8 singles mark. Bentley, ranked 79th, holds a 22-10 overall record, including a 6-2 mark at the two spot in conference play.
As a tandem, Stephenson and Bentley rank 20th with a 23-6 record. They have lost only one match in SEC action.
The seniors have come through for LSU in its recent matches as well. Camila Caliari clinched the Lady Tigers’ win over Mississippi State on Sunday, and by winning their matches against the Bulldogs, Marina Chiarelli and Daysi Espinal upped their season win total to 14. The number ties for tops on the team.
“These seniors have been here before, so they know what it takes and know how important it is to win these matches down the stretch,” Minnis said. “They have stepped up, and we need them to show that leadership for the remainder of the year.”
LSU defeated Alabama last year in Tuscaloosa, 4-3, and leads the overall series, 23-8. The Lady Tigers have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Tide.
The team is headed down the final stretch of the regular season. Alabama and Auburn both come to Baton Rouge this weekend followed by a trip to Tulsa on Tuesday. The regular season concludes with a visit by Arkansas on April 15.