BATON ROUGE, La.– Seven LSU players were named into the Division I Preseason National Rankings, as announced by the ITA on Tuesday. The ranked Tigers included four singles and three pairs of doubles, including a highly-ranked newcomer.
In singles play, Florentine Dekkers begins the 2024-25 season ranked No. 66 after picking up 13 singles wins in the previous campaign, including three victories over ranked opponents. Dekkers looks to improve from her debut season with the Tigers, finishing the season ranked No. 125 in the final ITA singles rankings.
Incoming freshman Cadence Brace aims to showcase her talent rapidly. She was ranked No. 78 in the preseason singles play polls and No. 4 for newcomer of the year. Entering LSU, Brace holds a UTR of 11.01 in singles play.
In her fifth year, senior Kylie Collins is ranked No. 101 to start the year. Despite missing the previous season due to injury, Collins aims to improve on her solid junior season, during which she secured 13 singles wins. She was the first player in program history to reach the ITA All-American Championship singles final and achieved a ranking of No. 7 in the singles rankings for that season.
Sophomore Kinaa Graham rounds out the preseason singles rankings for LSU, coming in at No. 121. Graham had a successful freshman season, with a 13-8 overall singles record and 12 wins in singles play across four ITA tournaments in the fall, including two wins over ranked opponents. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury in February ended her season.
Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva lead the way for LSU in doubles rankings, coming in at No. 10. Erickson made the SEC All-Freshman Team and was named an ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year after 10 doubles wins. Sahdiieva was named First Team All-Louisiana in her first season with LSU after transferring from Baylor, going 15-11 in doubles play. The duo had seven victories in doubles, playing at the No. 1 spot, including four wins over ranked opponents. The pair finished with a final ranking of No. 67 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Brace and Collins are ranked No. 59 in doubles play for the season. Even though they are a new pair, historically, they both have found success on the court. Brace comes to LSU with a 10.38 UTR in doubles and a 15.3 WTN Doubles ranking by the ITA. Collins has a 9.5 WTN Doubles ranking by the ITA and was recognized as an ITA Doubles All-American in 2023 after earning a top-eight seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship. In her junior season, the senior had an impressive 16-2 record in doubles play.
Dekkers and Gaby Rivera are the final LSU pair to achieve a preseason national double ranking, coming in at No. 70. Dekkers quickly earned responsibility in her debut season with LSU, competing on the top courts and gaining a team-high 17 doubles wins over the fall and spring campaign. Rivera earned nine doubles wins over the spring campaign, including securing the doubles point over Baylor in the NCAA Tournament before LSU sealed their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021.
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