Stanford, Calif. – The LSU women’s tennis team (15-10) will begin its campaign in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at 12 p.m. CT on Friday when they take on the Baylor Bears (17-12) in the first round of the Stanford Regional at the Taube Family Tennis Center.
Baylor (May 3)
Live Stats & Video
NCAA Tournament – Stanford Regional
LSU was drawn into the Stanford Regional as the No. 2 seed in Monday’s NCAA Tournament selection show. Hosts Stanford are the No. 2-ranked team in the tournament with an impressive 22-2 record on the year and will face Massachusetts (15-7) in their first-round matchup.
LSU-Baylor opens Friday at 12 p.m. CT and is followed by Stanford-UMass at 3 p.m. CT. The winners of Friday’s matches will play on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT for the chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. All matches will be contested at the Taube Family Tennis Center in the heart of Stanford University’s campus.
Notes on Baylor
LSU and Baylor have met five times over the years, with the Tigers winning all five matchups. This will be the first time the two teams have competed in a dual match since 1998, where LSU defeated Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Southwest Regional by a score of 5-0.
The Bears are the third seed in the regional and enter the tournament with a 17-12 overall record, a 7-6 tally in Big 12 competition and a ranking of No. 34 in the latest ITA team rankings. Senior Miska Kadleckova leads the team in singles play with a 16-4 tally on court one and a ranking of No. 95 in the latest ITA singles rankings.
The programs share two mutual opponents this season in the form of SMU and TCU. LSU fell at SMU by a score of 4-1 in February while Baylor defeated SMU by a score of 4-2 on two occasions. The TCU fixtures were a reverse for the programs: LSU claimed a 4-1 win over the Horned Frogs while Baylor fell by a score of 4-0.
Tiger Tidbits
LSU will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the 25th time in program history and the second straight season under head coach Taylor Fogleman. Last year, Fogleman became the program’s first ever first-year head coach to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament. This year, he leads a squad that featured nine players who were new to the program back to the dance, this time as the No. 2 seed in the Stanford Regional.
The Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 32 in the latest ITA rankings released on Thursday morning. In singles, Florentine Dekkers is ranked No. 101 and Aran Teixidó Garcia moved to No. 110. LSU has one duo in the doubles rankings; Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva checked in at 52.
LSU had two representatives on the SEC postseason awards released last week. Teixidó Garcia earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team while Erickson became the first LSU player named to the All-Freshman team since 2018.
Teixidó Garcia earned her spot on the second team by posting an 11-8 singles record playing at the No. 1-3 spots for the Tigers. In doubles, she led the team with 12 wins playing with two different partners. Her partnership with Dekkers specifically was a staple in the doubles lineup this season with the pair posting an 11-8 tally at the No. 2 spot.
Erickson earned a spot on the freshman team after a strong debut campaign this spring. Her 10-8 singles record is tied for the third best this spring and her five wins in SEC play tied for the most. In doubles, Erickson and partner Anita Sahdiieva earned seven wins playing together at the top doubles spot, including four against ranked foes. LSU won six matches in the regular season against SEC foes, with Erickson and Sahdiieva being the only two players to score a doubles and/or singles win in all six team victories.
Sahdiieva led the team this spring in singles with a 12-3 record playing primarily at the No. 3 spot for the Tigers. In doubles, she posted an 11-9 record playing at the No. 1 court with Erickson and freshman Kinaa Graham dating back to February.
Follow Us
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program follow the Tigers on X/Twitter @lsuwten , on Instagram @LSUWTen , and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.
2024 NCAA Tournament
Stanford Regional – Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Center
First Round – Friday, May 3
LSU vs. Baylor, 12 p.m. CT
Stanford vs. Massachusetts, 3 p.m. CT
Second Round – Saturday, May 4
Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 3 p.m. CT