Athens, Ga. –The No. 8-seeded LSU women’s tennis team’s (15-10) campaign in the 2024 SEC Tournament came to a close on Friday afternoon after falling to the top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs (18-4) by a score of 4-0 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Taylor’s Thoughts
“Proud of our ladies’ efforts this week,” head coach Taylor Fogleman said. “They came out today with energy and started doubles well, but just couldn’t get the doubles point. Down the stretch in singles, Georgia showed why they’re one of the best in the nation and we just couldn’t overcome the deficit.”
“While the scoreline doesn’t show it today, I do think we took a step forward as a team this week and I’m proud of the ladies. There are still some things that we can improve on, and we will during this time before the NCAA Tournament begins. We’ll rest up now and get ready for wherever we’re heading at NCAAs, but I like the direction we’re heading in.”
Doubles Results
The Tigers struck first in doubles when Gaby Rivera and Maya Tahan earned a ranked win by taking down No. 49 Guillermina Grant and Mai Nirundorn at the No. 2 spot. It was a dominant performance for the Tigers, who dropped only one game in a 6-1 win, the duo’s eighth of the season and their fourth straight.
Georgia tied it up after Anastasiia Lopata and Mell Reasco defeated Florentine Dekkers and Aran Teixidó Garcia at the No. 3 spot. The match was a close one throughout, splitting 12 games at 6-6 and requiring a tiebreaker to decide it. Lopata and Reasco took the lead in the tiebreaker and pushed on to win 7-4.
The doubles point came down to the top court, where No. 45 Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva faced No. 13 Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova. The Tiger pair took an early lead in the match, but the Bulldog duo kept the match close and eventually tied it up at 5-5. Mert and Vidmanova took the 11th game to make it 6-5, but the Tigers won the next to tie it up at 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. The decisive tiebreaker saw the Bulldogs take the lead and hold off a charge from the Tigers to win 7-5 and give Georgia a 1-0 lead.
Singles Results
No. 20 Vidmanova took down No. 112 Teixidó Garcia at the No. 1 court to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Vidmanova won the first set, 6-2, and only dropped one game in the second in a 6-1 win.
The lead was extended to 3-0 after Mert defeated Rivera at the No. 5 spot. Mert took an early lead in the first set and won 6-2 before repeating the scoreline in the second to clinch her court.
Georgia clinched a 4-0 lead and a spot in the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament after No. 40 Vecic defeated No. 89 Dekkers in straight sets. Vecic took the first set by a score of 6-3 and held a comeback effort from Dekkers in the second in a tight 6-4 win.
Up Next
The Tigers will find out their NCAA Tournament path when the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament selection show airs on NCAA.com at 5:30 p.m. CT on Monday, April 29.
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LSU vs. Georgia
Apr. 19, 2024
SEC Tournament Quarterfinal
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#6 Georgia 4, #33 LSU 0
Singles
- #20 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #112 Aran Teixido Garcia (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
- #40 Alexandra Vecic (UGA) def. #89 Florentine Dekkers (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
- #96 Mell Reasco (UGA) vs. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) 6-1, 4-5, unfinished
- #90 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) vs. Maya Tahan (LSU) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
- Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. Gaby Rivera (LSU) 6-2, 6-2
- #76 Mai Nirundorn (UGA) vs. Kenna Erickson (LSU) 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
Doubles
- #13 Aysegul Mert/Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #45 Kenna Erickson/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) 7-6 (7-5)
- Gaby Rivera/Maya Tahan (LSU) def. #49 Guillermina Grant/Mai Nirundorn (UGA) 6-1
- Anastasiia Lopata/Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Florentine Dekkers/Aran Teixido Garcia (LSU) 7-6 (7-4)
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (,3,1); Singles (1,5,2)
SEC Womens Tournament Match #9
#1 Georgia vs #8 LSU