LEXINGTON, Ky. — The seventh-seeded LSU women’s tennis team knocked off 10th-seeded Ole Miss, 4-0, to advance to the quarterfinal round at the Southeastern Conference Championship tournament on Thursday.
The Lady Tigers (16-8) defeated the Lady Rebels (5-18) for the second time this season. They had swept the match in Baton Rouge earlier in the season. They advance to the quarterfinals for a match-up with No. 2-seeded Florida.
“Ole Miss played really hard. I knew they would come out hard, but we scrapped and played well,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said. “I was especially pleased with the effort.”
The Lady Tigers took the early lead winning doubles matches on courts two and three to grab the first point.
Sophomores Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedberg fell on court one to Ole Miss’ Ilona Somers and Soledad Podlipnik, 8-2.
Freshman Nicole Kantor and sophomore Staten Spencer battled on court three against the Lady Rebels Carlin Cochran and Ksenia Tokarieva. LSU took the early lead going up 6-1. They gave up a few games, but did not lose composure as they won the match 8-6.
The point came down to court two and looked promising as freshman Hannah Robinson and junior Anastasiya Dubova took the lead at 2-1 and did not fall behind the Lady Rebels for the remainder of the match. They secured the point for LSU by winning 8-5.
In singles play, the Lady Tigers came out strong winning five of the six first sets. The only first set loss was by a very close, 8-6, tiebreaker on court four.
No. 2-ranked Falcon improved her winning streak to 22 as she defeated No. 39 Ilona Somers on court one in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Dubova put the Lady Tigers up 3-0 as she downed Carlin Cochran on court six in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.
With only one more match needed to secure the win, rain forced play to be suspended for about 30 minutes. The two teams moved to Kentucky’s four indoor courts and resumed play on courts two through five.
When the rain began Hedberg was up 6-4, 6-5. After moving indoors, she clinched the match for LSU against Ole Miss’ Nika Kourkhartchouk by a final score of 6-4, 7-5.
“I’m glad for Mykala (Hedberg) to get that win. It will give her some confidence,” Minnis said. “She as been playing close matches and she has lost a few. It was good for her to get one.”
Hedberg, the Oxnard, Calif. native, improved her mark overall and in the No. 2 slot to .500 with the win.
“Team wise, it felt really good. It is nice to know you can get through the first round of SECs. That is usually where all the nerves are,” Hedberg said. “It was good for me because I have been struggling in the last few matches. It is nice to be able to get the win and clinch the match.”
The Lady Tigers competed on Kentucky’s Seaton courts, while UK faced off with Mississippi State on the Stadium courts. UK also advanced to the quarterfinals by a score of 4-0 over MSU.
The Lady Tigers’ next opponent, the second-seeded Florida Gators, sat out Thursday with a bye. They defeated LSU, 6-1, in Baton Rouge earlier in the year.
Friday’s match is set for another 10 a.m. ET start time. The Lady Tigers are looking for their first berth to the semifinals since 2004, where they fell to eventual champions Florida.
Match Results
SEC Tournament-Round 1
Lexington, Ky.
#33 LSU, Ole Miss
Singles
1. #2 Megan Falcon (LSU) def. # 39 Ilona Somers (UM), 6-4, 6-3
2. Mykala Hedberg (LSU) def. Nika Koukhartchouk (UM), 6-4, 7-5
3. Nicole Kantor (LSU) vs. Ksenia Tokarieva (UM), 6-3, 5-0, suspended
4. Hannah Robinson (LSU) vs. Soledad Podlipnik (UM), 6-7 (6-8), 2-3
5. Staten Spencer (LSU) vs. Preethi Subramanian (UM), 6-3, 2-3, suspended
6. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) def. Carlin Cochran (UM), 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
1. Ilona Somers/Soledad Podlipnik (UM) def. # 36 Mykala Hedberg/Megan Falcon (LSU), 8-2
2. Anastasiya Dubova/Hannah Robinson (LSU) def. Nika Koukhartchouk/Preethi Subramanian (UM), 8-5
3. Nicole Kantor/Staten Spencer (LSU) def. Carlin Cochran/Ksenia Tokarieva (UM), 8-6
Match Notes
Order of finish: D1, D2, D3, S1, S6, S2*
*clinched match
#33 LSU (15-8, 5-6 SEC)
Ole Miss (5-17, 1-10 SEC)
SEC Women’s Tennis Championships
April 19-22, 2007
Boone Tennis Complex | Lexington, Ky.
Match Schedule
Thursday, April 19 – First Round
9 a.m. Match 1 #6 Kentucky 4, #11 Mississippi State 0
9 a.m. Match 2 #7 LSU 4, #10 Ole Miss 0
2 p.m. Match 3 #5 Tennessee 4, #12 Alabama 0
2 p.m. Match 4 #8 Auburn 4, #9 Arkansas 1
Friday, April 20 – Quarterfinals
9 a.m. Match 5 #6 Kentucky vs. #3 Vanderbilt
9 a.m. Match 6 #7 LSU vs. #2 Florida
Noon Match 7 #5 Tennessee vs. #4 South Carolina
Noon Match 8 #8 Auburn vs. #1 Georgia
Saturday, April 21 – Semifinals
9 a.m. Match 9 Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
Noon Match 10 Match 7 Winner vs. Match 8 Winner
Sunday, April 22 – Championship
Noon Match 11 Match 9 Winner vs. Match 10 Winner