LUBBOCK, Texas — After another strong day on the courts the LSU women’s tennis team sent two doubles teams to the quarterfinals at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Regional Championships on Sunday.
The fifth-seeded duo of Megan Falcon and Staten Spencer dominated their opponent for the second straight day as they defeated Karolina Filipiak and Taylor Ormond of Baylor 8-2. The sixth-seeded combo of Anastasiya Dubova and Mykala Hedberg also advanced in convincing fashion, knocking off Dominique Karas and Julie Chao from Rice 8-4.
“I was pleased with how we played today,” head coach Tony Minnis said. “We battled some injuries early in the fall, and the kids are coming back. We have two doubles teams in the quarterfinals, and I’m excited about that. Hopefully we can continue the solid play and qualify another doubles team for the indoors.”
In the singles main draw, all LSU players were eliminated after four advanced to the round of 32 yesterday. Spencer was the only Lady Tiger to make it out of the round of 32 as she defeated Madura Ranganathan of North Texas 7-5, 6-4. However, Spencer later fell in the round of 16 to Maggie Mello of Texas 6-1, 6-4.
Even though there are no LSU players still competing in the main singles draw, four Lady Tigers have advanced through the consolation draws. Senior Tiffany Tucker is in the quarterfinals in the West Consolation Singles draw after knocking off Nicole Briceno of SMU in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Joining Tucker is sophomore Nicole Kantor who breezed through the first two rounds of the draw, sweeping Tiffany Lee of Rice 6-3, 6-2 and Sarah Lancaster of Texas 6-4, 6-4.
In the North Consolation Singles bracket, Hedberg defeated Jane Pringle of Texas 6-4, 6-4, and sophomore Hannah Robinson fought off Michelle Sammons of Texas A&M 6-4, 6-7 (5), 10-4. Robinson and Hedberg will face each other in the quarterfinals of the draw.
In the doubles quarterfinals, Dubova and Hedberg will play the tournament’s top seed and the nation’s 14th-ranked doubles team of Anna Sydorska and Macall Harkins of TCU. Falcon and Spencer will take on Mariayeri Gutierrez and Andrea Martinez of Lamar.
Play continues tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the McLeod Tennis Center on Texas Tech’s campus.
ITA Southwest Regional Championships
Day Three Results
Singles
Main Draw
Round of 32
Taylor Ormond (BU) def. Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 6-4, 6-3
Jana Bielikova (BU) def. Hannah Robinson (LSU) 6-0, 6-4
Staten Spencer (LSU) def. Madura Ranganathan (UNT) 7-5, 6-4
Samantha van der Drift (TTU) def. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
Round of 16
Maggie Mello (UT) def. Staten Spencer (LSU) 6-1, 6-4
West Consolation
Round of 32
Tiffany Tucker (LSU) def. Weronika Bloczynska (UTEP) walkover
Nicole Kantor (LSU) def. Tiffany Lee (RU) 6-3, 6-2
Round of 16
Tiffany Tucker (LSU) def. Nicole Briceno (SMU) 6-4, 6-4
Nicole Kantor (LSU) def. Sarah Lancaster (UT) 6-4, 6-4
North Consolation
Round of 16
Mykala Hedberg (LSU) def. Jane Pringle (UT) 6-4, 6-4
Hannah Robinson (LSU) def. Michelle Sammons (TAMU) 6-4, 6-7 (5), 10-4
Caroline Larsson (UT) def. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) walkover
Doubles
Main Draw
Round of 16
(5) Megan Falcon/Staten Spencer (LSU) def. Karolina Filipiak/Taylor Ormond (BU) 8-2
(6) Anastasiya Dubova/Mykala Hedberg (LSU) def. Dominique Karas/Julie Chao (RU) 8-4