COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 40 LSU women’s tennis team will travel to face the No. 34 Texas A&M Aggies in its second SEC road trip of the season Friday at 5 p.m. CT at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
LSU (12-4; 3-3 SEC) defeated Texas A&M (13-4; 3-3 SEC) in both of last year’s matchups, a 4-2 win in the regular season and a 4-3 win in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Senior Ryann Foster and junior Jessica Golovin each picked up straight-set wins over Texas A&M’s current court one player Domenica Gonzalez in last season’s matches with Foster slated to face off against Gonzalez again Friday.
The Tigers have won their past two conference matches against Arkansas and Missouri but are still searching for their first road conference win of the season.
“I think we’re raising our level at the right time in SEC play,” co-head coach Julia Sell said. “We’ve finally gotten to that place where we’ve found our sweet spot as far as intensity and our game style. I like where we are as a team right now.”
Reigning two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Eden Richardson, ranked No. 120 in the country, leads the team with a 23-4 record. Richardson is currently on an 11-match win streak and is unbeaten in 14 of 15 dual singles matches. Golovin, ranked No. 80 singles, is tied with Richardson for the team lead in dual singles wins with 13.
Golovin and Richardson combine to form the No. 27-ranked doubles pairing in the country. The duo has won five straight doubles matches, including two over top-15 pairings, and remains undefeated since their move to the No. 1 position.
Seniors Domenica Gonzalez, ranked No. 119 in the country, Macarena Olivares and Eva Paalma have led Texas A&M this dual season, combining for a 35-9 singles record across the top three courts. The rest of the Aggies’ squad is comprised of a young freshman class with no sophomores or juniors on the roster. Mark Weaver, in his third season with the team, is the head coach of Texas A&M.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program follow the Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.