CHAPEL HILL N.C. — The No. 37 LSU Women’s Tennis team (3-1) fell to No. 3 North Carolina (4-0) in the final ITA Kickoff match Sunday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
“We had a few nagging injuries where it wasn’t worth injuring further,” head coach Julia Sell said. “It threw us a little but it was okay. I thought the girls adjusted very well and competed really hard. UNC showed us why they are ranked third in the country.”
Injuries to Joana Vale Costa and Noel Scott shuffled the lineup prior to the Lady Tiger’s match against the Tar Heels. North Carolina got off to a hot start by taking the doubles point with wins on court two (6-1) and three (6-2).
UNC’s Hayley Carter, ranked 31st in the country, took the first singles point over Ella Taylor on court three 6-2, 6-0.
No. 65 Skylar Kuykendall made her first singles appearance on court one for the Lady Tigers. Kuykendall fell to No. 8 Jamie Loeb 6-1, 6-2.
Whitney Kay then clinched the match on court four for the Tar Heels with a 6-4, 6-2 decision over Skylar Holloway
Freshman Amanda Atnasson took the first set over Ashley Dai, but her court went unfinished, as UNC had clinched the win.
“Our top two were out so this give some of our younger players that have been down in the lineup some experience,” Sell added. “UNC is as high level as it gets so it’s invaluable experience to compete against them. We’ve taken a lot from this match and we will continue to improve going into next weekend.”
LSU returns to action Saturday for a doubleheader against Northwestern State and Jackson State at the ‘Dub’. The match against Northwestern State begins at 11 a.m. and is followed by the match against Jackson State at 4 p.m.
Follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.
ITA Kickoff Weekend
#3 North Carolina 4, #37 LSU 0
Jan 25, 2015 at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center (Chapel Hill, NC)
Singles Competition:
1. #8 Jamie Loeb (NC) def. #65 Skylar Kuykendall (LSU) 6-1, 6-1
2. #31 Hayley Carter (NC) vs. #74 Abby Owens (LSU) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
3. #21 Caroline Price (NC) def. Ella Taylor (LSU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Whitney Kay (NC) def. Skylar Holloway (LSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Ashley Dai (NC) vs. Amanda Atanasson (LSU) 4-6, 5-0, unfinished
6. Kate Vialle (NC) vs. Madara Straume (LSU) 7-6 (10-8), 0-1, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #13 Kate Vialle/Ashley Dai (NC) vs. Abby Owens/Skylar Kuykendall (LSU) 5-2, unfinished
2. Caroline Price/Jamie Loeb (NC) def. Skylar Holloway/Amanda Atanasson (LSU) 6-1
3. Whitney Kay/Hayley Carter (NC) def. Ella Taylor/Madara Straume (LSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
LSU 3-1; National ranking #37
North Carolina 4-0; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,1,4)
T-1:40 A-50