AUBURN, Ala. — Fresh off of a victory over rival Alabama, the ninth-ranked LSU women’s tennis team (12-3, 1-0 SEC) continues its SEC weekend opener against No. 29 Auburn (13-2, 1-0 SEC) at 1 p.m. CT Saturday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
On Thursday, LSU defeated No. 38 Alabama, 4-3, for the program’s first win in Tuscaloosa since 2007. The victory also halted a five-match skid to the Crimson Tide. Senior Skylar Kuykendall broke Natalia Maynetto’s serve at love to clinch the match for the Lady Tigers.
With the win, Kuykendall improved to 9-5 on the dual-match season in singles play. Kuykendall carries a five-match win streak into the match against Auburn.
No. 20 Joana Vale Costa holds down the top court for LSU with a 10-3 record. Vale Costa will face No. 32 Andie Dikosavljevic on court one. Dikosavljevic is 9-2 overall and 2-2 against ranked opponents this spring.
Sophomore Ryann Foster has provided a huge spark for the lineup this season with a 13-0 record this spring and 15-match win streak dating back to the fall. Foster has dominated singles play this season with 12 of 13 wins coming in two sets.
Auburn is ranked 29th in the latest ITA/Oracle Team ranking. So far this season, Auburn has victories over No.12 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Texas A&M.
LSU holds a 27-11 record all time against Auburn in a series that dates back to the beginning of the program. Last season, LSU defeated Auburn, 5-2, in Baton Rouge. Joana Vale Costa and partner Noel Scott took down sixth-ranked Pleun Burgmans and Emily Flickinger for the program’s highest doubles win since 2002.
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