BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU women’s tennis team heads into the 2016 season ranked 21st in the country, the ITA announced Tuesday.
The team ranking is the highest mark for the program since the 2009 season. The opening team ranking shows the continued progression under co-head coaches Julia Sell and Michael Sell. The Lady Tigers began last season ranked 38th and finished the season ranked 22nd.
Last season, LSU finished with a record of 20-11 in dual match play and reached the 20-win mark for just the third time in school history. The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in school history and the semifinal of the SEC Tournament for the third time in school history.
“It is a nice confidence boost for our team to be recognized for their incredible effort last year,” Julia Sell said. “This is just a starting point, and we are ready to compete and improve.”
Joana Vale Costa is rated No. 23, Jessica Golovin begins at No. 52 and Skylar Kuykendall is at No. 93 in the first Oracle/ITA singles rankings.
Vale Costa finished last season with a record of 31-13 and became the first LSU player since 2009 to earn a spot in the NCAA Singles Championships. Vale Costa was also named to the All-SEC first team and earned the highest singles ranked win for an LSU player since 2008.
Kuykendall finished 30-8 overall and became just the 15th player in school history to reach the 30-win mark in a season. Kuykendall held down court two during SEC play and led the nation in wins for a majority of the season.
Golovin has gotten off to a fast start in her freshman campaign. Golovin finished the fall season 9-3 and 4-1 against ranked opponents. The New York, N.Y. native capped off the fall with a victory in her flight of the UNLV Invite.
The Lady Tigers open up the 2016 season on Jan. 16 with a doubleheader against Nicholls and Southern at the LSU Tennis Complex. The first match against the Colonels begins at 11 a.m. CT with the second match of the day following at 4 p.m.
Follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.