LOS ANGELES — After dropping a tough doubles point, the 28th-ranked LSU women’s tennis team could never gain momentum as it fell to No. 35 Auburn by a 4-0 decision Friday in the opening round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend hosted by USC in Los Angeles, Calif., at the David X. Marks Stadium.
LSU’s (2-1) Kaitlin Burns and Nicole Kantor finished first as they fought hard on court two but fell to the Auburn duo of Fani Chifchieva and Jil Hastenrath, 8-4.
On court one, the Lady Tigers tandem of Keri Frankenberger and Whitney Wolf kept the hope of winning the doubles point alive as they defeated Myrthe Molenveld and Caroline Thornton, 8-6. Senior Hannah Robinson and freshman Ebie Wilson gave a great fight but fell short to Plamena Kurteva and Paulina Schippers, 8-5.
In singles, No. 120 Wolf played well on court one, but it was not enough to upend 71st-ranked Chifchieva as she won the match 6-4, 6-2. On court five, Lady Tiger Robinson took the first set over Auburn’s Schippers 6-0 but dropped the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 to give Auburn a 3-0 edge.
Molenveld clinched the overall match for Auburn (2-1) over senior Kantor by a 6-3, 6-4, margin.
Because the overall match was clinched on court two, newcomers Frankenberger, Burns and Wilson’s matches were suspended on courts three, four and six.
“Although the loss was disappointing, I saw a lot of positive things from our team,” said head coach Tony Minnis. “Our freshmen competed hard and played well.”
The Lady Tigers will face the loser of the USC/San Diego match Saturday at 4:30 CST.
#35 Auburn 4, #28 LSU 0
Jan. 29, 2010 at Los Angles, Calif. (David X. Marks Stadium)
Singles
1. #71 Fani Chifchieva (AUB) def. #120 Whitney Wolf (LSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Myrthe Molenveld (AUB) def. Nicole Kantor (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Keri Frankenberger (LSU) vs. Caroline Thornton (AUB) 6-4, 4-5, unfinished
4. Kaitlin Burns (LSU) vs. Daniela Vukadinovic (AUB) 7-6, 3-4, unfinished
5. Paulina Schippers (AUB) def. Hannah Robinson (LSU) 0-6, 6-1, 6-2
6. Ebie Wilson (LSU) vs. Jil Hastenrath (AUB) 5-7, 2-4, unfinished
Doubles
1. Keri Frankenberger/Whitney Wolf (LSU) def. Myrthe Molenveld/Caroline Thornton (AUB) 8-6
2. Fani Chifchieva/Jil Hastenrath (AUB) def. Kaitlin Burns/Nicole Kantor (LSU) 8-4
3. Plamena Kurteva/Paulina Schippers (AUB) def. Hannah Robinson/Ebie Wilson (LSU) 8-5
Match Notes:
LSU 2-1; National ranking #28
Auburn 2-1; National ranking #35
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,5,2)