FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 23rd-ranked LSU women’s tennis team fell, 4-1, to Ole Miss Thursday in the first round of the SEC Tournament at Arkansas’ Dills Indoor Stadium.
The match was delayed one hour and 30 minutes because of heavy winds. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has a rule that a match must be played indoors if winds are sustained at 20 mph or higher, so the two teams were forced indoors where they had to wait for the conclusion of the Vanderbilt-Mississippi State match.
When the match finally got underway the doubles point was hotly contested as the two teams traded quick points. Ole Miss’ 25th-ranked duo of Kristi Boxx and Karen Nijssen defeated 19th-ranked Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedberg 8-2 on court 1. The Lady Tigers responded on court three when Nicole Kantor and Staten Spencer knocked off Laura van de Stroet and Mimi Renaudin 8-4.
The match on court two was back and forth throughout. Hannah Robinson and Whitney Wolf fell behind Ole Miss’ Abigail Guthrie and Gabriela Rangel 4-2, but the Lady Tiger pair won two straight games to even the match at 4-4. The two teams traded games until they reached 7-all, and Guthrie and Rangel won the next two games to win the match 9-7 and clinch the doubles point to put the Lady Rebels up 1-0.
In singles play, Ole Miss (13-8) quickly jumped ahead 2-0 when Rangel took down Spencer 6-1, 6-1 on court five.
LSU (13-10) responded on court one as 13th-ranked Falcon defeated 33rd-ranked Boxx for the second time this season with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph. Falcon’s victory cut the Lady Tiger deficit to 2-1, and it also marked Falcon’s 96th career victory, moving her one win away from tying three Lady Tigers for eighth place in the all-time LSU wins list.
Ole Miss increased the lead to 3-1 when No. 69 Nijssen beat Hedberg on court two 6-3, 6-1, and the Lady Rebels clinched the match on court three when van de Stroet defeated Kantor 6-4, 6-1.
“Hats off to Ole Miss because they played a great match today, but it is unfortunate that our kids were put in a situation where they had to go indoors and play in an environment that they very seldom get a chance to play in throughout the course of the season,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said.
Wolf was one game away on court four from winning her second straight match as she led Guthrie 6-1, 5-3. After dropping the first set 6-4 on court six, Robinson was tied at 3-all in the second set with Ole Miss’ Renaudin when the overall match was clinched.
The Lady Tigers will now travel back to Baton Rouge and await their fate in the NCAA Tournament with the first and second rounds set for May 8-10. The NCAA Tournament selection announcements will be made Tuesday, April 28 at approximately 4:20 p.m. CDT on ESPNews.
#26 Ole Miss 4, #23 LSU 1
April 23, 2009 at Fayetteville, Ark. (Dills Indoor Stadium)
Singles
1. #13 Megan Falcon (LSU) def. #33 Kristi Boxx (OM) 6-1, 6-4
2. #69 Karen Nijssen (OM) def. Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Laura van de Stroet (OM) def. Nicole Kantor (LSU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Whitney Wolf (LSU) vs. Abigail Guthrie (OM) 6-1, 5-3, unfinished
5. Gabriela Rangel (OM) def. Staten Spencer (LSU) 6-1, 6-
6. Hannah Robinson (LSU) vs. Mimi Renaudin (OM) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles
1. #25 Kristi Boxx/Karen Nijssen (OM) def. #19 Megan Falcon/Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 8-2
2. Abigail Guthrie/Gabriela Rangel (OM) def. Hannah Robinson/Whitney Wolf (LSU) 9-7
3. Nicole Kantor/Staten Spencer (LSU) def. Laura van de Stroet/Mimi Renaudin (OM) 8-4
Match Notes
LSU 13-10; National ranking #23
Ole Miss 13-8; National ranking #26
Order of Finish
Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,1,2,3)