LEXINGTON, Ky. — The seventh-seeded LSU women’s tennis team dropped a heartbreaking match in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal with the third-ranked Florida Gators, 4-1, at Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Complex on Friday.
“I was really proud of the way we fought. That was as hard as we have fought all year. We showed a lot of heart,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said. “You have to tip off your hat to Florida. They came through in the clutch in the big matches when they had to. We played with great effort.”
Florida took the early lead winning doubles matches on courts two and three to secure the point. Freshman Hannah Robinson and junior Anastasiya Dubova fell first on court two to 47th-ranked Whitney Benik and Nina Suvak, 8-4.
The Gators clinched the first match point on court three as Megan Alexander and Anastasia Revzina defeated freshman Nicole Kantor and sophomore Staten Spencer, 8-3.
LSU’s 36th-ranked sophomore duo of Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedberg were leading 17th-ranked Diana Srebrovic and Csilla Borsanyi, 6-5, when the match was suspended to begin singles play.
The Lady Tigers fell behind 3-0 as Dubova and Robinson dropped matches on courts six and four, respectively.
Dubova fell to Benik in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0. Robinson followed with a loss to No. 122 Suvak also in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
No. 2 Falcon gave the Lady Tigers its first point as she remained undefeated in the No. 1 slot against the Gators No. 21 Srebrovic. Florida won the first set, 7-5, but Falcon came back relentlessly to win the next two sets, 6-0, 6-3.
Falcon improves to 33-2 with the win, 23-0 in the No. 1 slot in dual play. This marks her 21st win over a nationally ranked opponent.
The Gators No. 62 Borsanyi clinched the match for Florida on court five against LSU’s Spencer. Borsanyi won the first set 6-3, but Spencer battled back to take the second 6-4. Borsanyi came back fighting to clinch the match with a 6-1 win in the third set.
The matches on courts two and three were both in second set tiebreakers when play was suspended. Hedberg and Kantor were both down a set, but battling with great effort in second set tiebreakers.
The Lady Tigers will return to Baton Rouge and wait for the NCAA Tournament bids to be announced.
“I’m excited to get ready for the tournament. I think we’ve got some great momentum,” Minnis said.
Match Results
SEC Tournament-Quarterfinals
Lexington, Ky.
# 3 FLORIDA 4, #33 LSU 1
Singles
1. #2 Megan Falcon (LSU) def. # 21 Diana Srebrovic (UF), 5-7, 6-0, 6-3
2. Anastasia Revzina (UF) led Mykala Hedberg (LSU), 6-2, 6-6, susp.
3. # 41 Megan Alexander (UF) led Nicole Kantor (LSU), 7-5, 6-6, susp.
4. # 122 Nina Suvak (UF) def. Hannah Robinson (LSU), 6-4, 6-3
5. #62 Csilla Borsanyi (UF) def. Staten Spencer (LSU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
6. Whitney Benik (UF) def. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU), 6-3, 6-0
Doubles
1. # 36 Mykala Hedberg/Megan Falcon (LSU) led # 17 Diana Srebrovic/Csilla Borsanyi (UF), 6-5, susp.
2. # 47 Whitney Benik/Nina Suvak (UF) def. Anastasiya Dubova/Hannah Robinson (LSU), 8-4
3. Megan Alexander/Anastasia Revzina (UF) def. Nicole Kantor/Staten Spencer (LSU), 8-3
Order of finish: D2, D3, S6, S1, S4, S5
*clinched match
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 2, #3 Vanderbilt 4
9 a.m. Match 6 #7 LSU 1, #2 Florida 4
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