LSU Gold

Tennis Sends Five into Action at the Auburn ITA Regional Championships

by Luke Ashley
Schedule Live Stream Photos +0
Tennis Sends Five into Action at the Auburn ITA Regional Championships

AUBURN, Ala. – The LSU Women’s Tennis squad will feature five athletes fighting for glory in the southern regional championships. The tournament will feature 19 universities and run from Oct. 10-15 at Yarbrough Tennis Center.

The Tigers are represented by seniors Anita Sahdiieva and Gaby Rivera, sophomores Kenna Erickson and Carina Holguin, and freshman Indi Patel, who is making her collegiate debut.

Rivera, Erickson, and Sahdiieva competed in the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C.

Erickson and Sahdiieva participated in singles and doubles contests, while Rivera excelled in singles play.

Shining for the Tigers quickly, Rivera competed well in her previous outing, winning three consecutive singles matches. In the first prequalifying round, she came from behind to beat Drexel’s Lorie Lemongo in three sets, winning 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. Then, she won in straight sets against Bryant University’s Natalia Vela, 6-0, 6-2. After that, she faced Ohio State’s Teah Chavez and won 7-6(3), 6-2.

Rivera will bypass early involvement in the regional championship and begin play in the main draw. Her opponent will be determined after the qualifying draw is complete.

Erickson played in the prequalifying draw but could not overcome her opponent, top-seeded Anna Zhang of Wake Forest, 1-6, 3-6.

Eager to make a competitive run, Erickson will begin singles regional play in the main draw and participate in the doubles bracket with Sahdiieva, the country’s No. 10 pairing.

In her debut competition, Sahdiieva secured a straight-set victory over Drew Morris (SMU) in her closing singles match, 6-1, 6-1.

Beyond her involvement in the doubles bracket, the Ukrainian native will also void the qualifying round and open her campaign in the main draw of the singles bracket.

Erickson and Sahdiieva earned a first-round bye and will open the Round of 32 against the winners of Miss. State’s Jayna Clemens, Athina Pitta, or Campbell’s pair of Eeva Ristola and Lena Karlovcan on Oct. 11 at 9:00 a.m. CT.

Competing in her first competition this season, Holguin hopes to build off her freshman season after honing her skills to be an asset for the Tigers. The previous season, Holguin competed in three tournaments over the fall campaign.

The sophomore will begin singles in the qualifying draw, battling Ana Hollweg (McNeese) on Oct. 10 at 9:00 a.m. CT. Holguin will also compete in the doubles bracket with Patel.

Getting experience in her first collegiate tournament, Patel will be the final Tiger vying for regional success. The Florida product hopes to flourish quickly in her debut season, scheduled to face Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham’s Klara Kajabova on Oct. 10 at 12:30 p.m. CT.

The duo of Holguin and Patel will begin doubles play over Louisiana Tech’s pairing of Maria Tsironi and Alice Brook on Oct. 11 at 9:45 a.m. CT.

For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.