BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s tennis team puts its five-match win streak on the line when it plays host to No. 23 Tulsa on Friday at 1 p.m. CDT.
The match was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. but was moved up to accommodate Tulsa’s travel plans.
The Lady Tigers (7-6, 3-1 SEC) are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Iowa and Grambling on Wednesday which extended their win streak to five. The streak is the longest of its kind since LSU won seven consecutive matches during the 2006-07 season.
The Golden Hurricane (14-2, 2-0 Conference USA) enter Friday’s contest sporting a nine-match win streak including a 7-0 defeat of Iowa State 7-0 on Sunday.
“This is probably the biggest match of the season so far,” said LSU women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis. “Tulsa is a top-notch team and we have an opportunity to continue to build momentum. We need lots of fan support for this match, so I hope to see lots of fans on Friday.”
Tulsa is led in singles play by Michelle Farley. The senior has amassed a 15-1 record this spring while playing out of the No. 2-6 positions. She has won eight consecutive matches and her only loss this season has come to Texas Tech’s Kelsey Garland on Feb. 12.
Senior Alexandra Kichoutkin holds down the No. 1 slot for the Golden Hurricane. The New York, N.Y., native is 9-6 this spring with four of her losses coming to nationally-ranked opponents. She has won her last two matches including a 6-2, 7-5 win over Iowa State’s Maria Macedo on Sunday in Tulsa.
Golden Hurricane juniors Anastasia Erofeeva and Ewa Szatkowska pilot the squad in doubles play. The duo has compiled a 13-1 mark during the spring after going 7-1 in the fall season.
Four Lady Tigers enter play on Friday with win streaks of at least three matches. Sophomore Ebie Wilson leads the quartet, having won four consecutive and nine of her last 10 singles matches.
Freshman Yvette Vlaar is currently riding a five-match win streak. She is coming off collecting two victories on Wednesday, defeating Iowa’s Ally Majercik 6-0, 6-2 and Grambling’s Oluwatomisin Kassim 6-0, 6-0. Fellow freshman Ariel Morton rides a five-match streak into the matchup against Tulsa. The Houston native has yet to lose a set since falling to No. 125 Caroline Hitimana of Florida on March 4.
Sophomore Keri Frankenberger has rebounded from a slow start this spring to win her last three singles matches. A hard-fought three-set victory over Mississippi State’s Olesya Tsigvintseva last Sunday started the recent surge for the Gainesville, Fla., product.
LSU continues to receive strong performances in doubles play from each of its three doubles teams. After beginning the season 1-4 in doubles action, the Lady Tigers have clinched the doubles point in its last six matches.
Junior Whitney Wolf and sophomore Kaitlin Burns have won three of their past four matches from the No. 1 post.
Since being paired together on Feb. 27 against Xavier (New Orleans), Frankenberger and Vlaar have won all six of their doubles matches. Meanwhile Wilson and Morton have posted a five-match doubles win streak.
Admission is free to Friday’s match. In addition, fans are encouraged to arrive early on Friday as free pizza will be served while supplies last.
Live stats will be provided for fans that are unable to attend and can be followed at www.LSUsports.net/livestats.
Follow the LSU women’s tennis team on Twitter @LSUwten and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUwten. Be sure to check these sites on Thursday for a special message from Coach Minnis.