Gainesville, Fla. – The No. 19 LSU Women’s Tennis defeat dropped its first match of the season after being defeated 4-2 by the Florida Gators on Friday night at the Case Tennis Center.
With the loss, LSU falls to 7-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play while the Gators move to 4-4 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.
Selling Points
“Credit to Florida for earning the win tonight,” co-head coach Michael Sell said. “There were a lot of bright spots in today’s match, especially getting the doubles point and great singles action from Paris (Corley). We fought hard but were presented a few areas of improvement that we’ll need to make if we want to continue our great start to the season.”
Doubles Results
The Florida duo of McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein struck first when they defeated the No. 14 duo of senior Eden Richardson and sophomore Nina Geissler by a score of 6-2 at the No. 1 doubles.
LSU struck back at the No. 2 when sophomores Safiya Carrington and Maggie Cubitt defeated Ida Jarlskog and Sara Dahlstrom by a score of 6-3.
The Tigers clinched the doubles point when seniors Taylor Bridges and Paris Corley held off the duo of Sydney Berlin and Layne Sleeth at the No. 3 in a 6-3 contest.
Singles Results
The Gators tied it up at 1-1 with a win at the No. 2 singles when Zein defeated No. 83 Carrington by a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline.
LSU scored its lone singles point at No. 4, where Corley defeated Dalhstorm. Corley got off to a quick start, claiming the first set in dominant 6-1 fashion. Corley controlled the second set, going on to win 6-3 and give LSU a 2-1 lead on the night.
Florida drew level at 2-2 after No. 32 Kessler defeated No. 41 Bridges at the No. 1. Kessler controlled the tempo of the match, disposing of Bridges in the first set 6-3 and following that with a 6-2 win in the second.
The tie was broken at the No. 6, where Florida took a 3-2 lead thanks to No. 65 Sleeth defeating Geissler. Sleeth was victorious in the first set 6-2 before carrying momentum into the second to win 6-1 and hand Geissler her first defeat of the season.
The Gators clinched the match after Jarlskog defeated Richardson at the No. 3. Richardson got off to a quick start, taking the first set in a strong 6-2 manner. Jarlskog bounced back from her first set defeat, winning the second set 6-0 and going on to take the third 6-2 to claim victory for Florida.
Up Next
No. 23 LSU will conclude the weekend at South Carolina at noon CT on Sunday, February 28.
Social Center
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Florida 4, #19 LSU 2
Singles competition
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1. #32 McCartney Kessler (UF) def. #41 Taylor Bridges (LSU) 6-3, 6-2 |
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2. Marlee Zein (UF) def. #83 Safiya Carrington (LSU) 6-4, 6-2 |
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3. Ida Jarlskog (UF) def. Eden Richardson (LSU) 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 |
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4. Paris Corley (LSU) def. Sara Dahlstrom (UF) 6-1, 6-3 |
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5. Sydney Berlin (UF) vs. Maggie Cubitt (LSU) 7-5, 3-6, unfinished |
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6. #65 Layne Sleeth (UF) def. Nina Geissler (LSU) 6-2, 6-1 |
Doubles competition
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1. #26 McCartney Kessler/Marlee Zein (UF) def. #14 Eden Richardson/Nina Geissler (LSU) 6-2 |
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2. Safiya Carrington/Maggie Cubitt (LSU) def. Ida Jarlskog/Sara Dahlstrom (UF) 6-3 |
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3. Paris Corley/Taylor Bridges (LSU) def. Layne Sleeth/Sydney Berlin (UF) 6-3 |
Match Notes
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LSU 7-1; National ranking #23 |
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Florida 4-4 |
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Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,4,1,6,3) |