COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 24 LSU defeated No. 7 Texas A&M, 4-3, behind a gutsy performance by sophomore Skylar Holloway to move on to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament for just the third time in school history.
Down 5-2 in the third set with elimination in the SEC Tournament hanging in the balance, Holloway reeled off four of five games to push the match into a winner-take all tiebreaker. The Washington, D.C. native was trailing 4-3 in the tiebreaker and won four straight points to seal the semifinal berth 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).
The win over the Aggies was the second-highest ranked win for the program since the 2000 team defeated No. 6 Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament. It was only the second top-10 win in the last 17 years. The victory was also the fourth top-30 win this season, which ties the most for an LSU team in a season.
The Lady Tigers return for the semifinal tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT against second-seeded Georgia. The Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State to reach the semifinal earlier this afternoon. Fans can catch tomorrow’s match will on SECNetwork+ through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the whole team today,” head coach Julia Sell said. “This match was a total team effort. Doubles was not good, but we came back for singles determined and ready to play. We turned it around against a great A&M team and it was pretty impressive to see.”
LSU dropped the doubles point and Joana Vale Costa fell 6-4, 6-0 to Rachel Pierson to fall into a 2-0 hole. Skylar Kuykendall captured the first point for LSU with her 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 54 Rutuja Bhosale on court two. The junior earned her 24th victory of the year and continues to lead the nation in wins.
Ella Taylor tied the match at two with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Eva Paalma on court five. The junior is second on the team in wins with 18 on the year.
Abby Owens gave the Lady Tigers a 3-2 lead with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win over No. 47 Saska Gavrilovska. The junior improved to 18-8 on the year and is now 10-4 on court three.
Texas A&M came back to tie the match with a win on court four. Ines Deheza defeated Noel Scott 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to push it to the final court. Holloway then clinched it for the Lady Tigers to secure the upset over the Aggies.
“The most impressive moment was the final two matches with Noel and Skylar,” Sell said. “We were relying on Skylar to push us through and she did. To come back after being down 5-2 is impressive, but it was even more impressive that she did it with all the pressure in the world. That’s what champions do though. Every loss that we’ve taken this year against top-10 teams has led us to this point. For the girls to come through and turn it up a notch is a proud moment for this coaching stuff.”
LSU returns to the courts tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT for the match against the Bulldogs. The Lady Tigers fell in Athens earlier this season, 4-0. Georgia has six players ranked and the Bulldogs are led by No. 7 Lauren Herring on court one.
“We’re going to celebrate at dinner and then come back tomorrow against another great team in Georgia,” Sell added. “Georgia is another team that we played close and we let a lot of our lead slip. We were a little intimidated the first time around but I think today’s performance will give us the confidence we need tomorrow.”
For more information on the program, follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and onwww.Facebook.com/lsuwten.
#24 (6) LSU 4, #7 (3) Texas A&M 3
April 17, 2015 at Columbia, S.C.
(Carolina Tennis Center)
Singles Competition:
1. #34 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #29 Joana Vale Costa (LSU) 6-4, 6-0
2. #60 Skylar Kuykendall (LSU) def. #54 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) 6-3, 6-1
3. Abigail Owens (LSU) def. #47 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2
4. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Noel Scott (LSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
5. Ella Taylor (LSU) def. Eva Paalma (A&M) 6-2, 6-4
6. Skylar Holloway (LSU) def. Anna Mamalat (A&M) 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles Competition:
1. #26 Eva Paalma/Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #33 Joana Vale Costa/Noel Scott (LSU) 8-3
2. Skylar Kuykendall/Abigail Owens (LSU) def. #20 Ines Deheza/Stefania Hristov (A&M) 8-6
3. #75 Rutuja Bhosale/Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. Skylar Holloway/Amanda Atanasson (LSU) 8-4
Match Notes:
(6 seed) LSU 19-9, 7-6 SEC; National ranking #24
(3 seed) Texas A&M 15-5, 11-2 SEC; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,5,3,4,6)
SEC Tournament – Quarterfinals