MADISON, Wisc. — In the final match at the ITA Team Indoor Championships, the No. 18 LSU women’s tennis team (6-2) fell, 4-2, to No. 12 Michigan (4-2) Sunday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin’s Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
“Mike and I are so proud of this team for how they battled all weekend long,” co-head coach Julia Sell said. “They can compete with any team in the country. They showed everyone they belong here and they did it with heart and class.”
In the first ever appearance at the team championships, LSU went 1-2 over the weekend against the nation’s best. The Lady Tigers defeated No. 10 Oklahoma State 4-3 in the opening match Friday for the fourth top-10 victory for the program in the last 24 seasons.
“Making this tournament was a huge step for our program,” Sell added. “We walk away from this with a clear direction of what we need to contend for a national championship in May. The LSU nation would be proud.”
The Lady Tigers opened doubles play by splitting courts one and two. Skylar Kuykendall and Abby Owens teamed up to defeat Ronit Yurovsky and Kate Fahey, 6-3. Mira Ruder-Hook and Brienne Minor defeated Joana Vale Costa and Ryann Foster, 6-2, to even the doubles matches.
In the deciding match, Skylar Holloway and Ella Taylor fell to Kara Hall and Alex Najarian, 6-4, to give the doubles point to Michigan.
LSU got out to a strong start in singles play by taking two courts in straight sets. Abby Owens improved to 5-1 on the season with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Ruder-Hook. Foster followed on court four with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Najarian to improve to a perfect 6-0.
Despite being down 2-1, Michigan won the remaining three matches to earn the victory over LSU. Minor started the streak for Michigan with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Golovin on court two.
On court one, Vale Costa took the first set 6-3 but fell in the remaining two sets 6-3 and 7-5 to 17th ranked Yurovsky.
With the match at 3-2 in favor of the Wolverines, LSU still had a shot with courts three and six remaining. Despite dropping their first sets, both Taylor and Kuykendall pushed their respective matches to a third set.
The rally came up short though as Fahey defeated Kuykendall 2-6, 7-6, 6-0 to clinch the match for the Wolverines. Taylor showed toughness on court six to come back but her match ultimately went unfished while leading 5-7, 6-2, 5-1.
LSU returns to home for its third home match of the season and third in almost a month Friday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. against North Carolina State.
Follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.
Tennis Match Results
#12 Michigan 4, #18 LSU 2
Feb 7, 2016 at Madison, Wis.
(Nielsen Tennis Stadium)
Singles competition
1. #17 Ronit Yurovsky (MICH) def. #23 Joana Vale Costa (LSU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. #19 Brienne Minor (MICH) def. #52 Jessica Golovin (LSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. #107 Kate Fahey (MICH) def. #93 Skylar Kuykendall (LSU) 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-0
4. Ryann Foster (LSU) def. Alex Najarian (MICH) 6-4, 6-1
5. Abby Owens (LSU) def. Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH) 6-2, 6-1
6. Teona Velehorschi (MICH) vs. Ella Taylor (LSU) 7-5, 2-6, 1-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Mira Ruder-Hook/Brienne Minor (MICH) def. Joana Vale Costa/Ryann Foster (LSU) 6-2
2. Skylar Kuykendall/Abby Owens (LSU) def. Ronit Yurovsky/Kate Fahey (MICH) 6-3
3. Kara Hall/Alex Najarian (MICH) def. Skylar Holloway/Ella Taylor (LSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
LSU 6-2; National ranking #18
Michigan 4-2; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,4,2,1,3)
2016 ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship