LSU Gold

Women's Tennis Overpowers UC Santa Barbara, 6-1

by Luke Ashley
Box Score +0
Women's Tennis Overpowers UC Santa Barbara, 6-1

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – LSU Women’s Tennis downed UC Santa Barbara, 6-1, on Saturday evening at the Hogan Tennis Center.

LSU improves to a 2-0 mark, while UC Santa Barbara drops to 0-1 on the season.

Taylor’s Thoughts

“We had a strong performance across the board today, starting with solid doubles matches,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “While we let up at moments, the girls delivered when it mattered. Overall, it was a successful first weekend, but now it’s time to rest and prepare for a tough Miami (Fla.) team at next weekend’s ITA National Indoors qualifier.”

Doubles Display

Kenna Erickson and Gaby Rivera started the day off for the Tigers in doubles play on the No. 3 spot against Raphaelle Leroux and Lily Pradkin. Despite trailing early, Erickson and Rivera battled back to knot the score at 2-2 before closing the set out perfectly, winning four straight to secure a 6-2 result to give the Tigers their first win.

Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva were next up for LSU on the No. 2 court as they battled Lucy Lu and Ali Benedetto. In a tightly contested contest to start the match, the Tiger pair were even at 2-2 with Lu and Benedetto. They would break the seal open and win four straight games, securing the set and the doubles point for LSU, holding a 1-0 advantage in the dual contest.

Singles Slate

Kayla Cross and Anna Weissheim battled on the No. 2 spot to begin singles competition. Cross gained a 2-1 advantage, but her opponent fought back to tie the score at 3-3 and then took a commanding 5-3 lead. Undeterred, Cross rallied to win four straight games, ultimately securing a 7-5 victory in the first set. Weissheim started with a 1-0 lead, but Cross leveled at 2-2 and then won four straight games for a 6-2 victory, marking her first collegiate singles win and giving LSU a 2-0 lead.

Di Girolami faced Tyra Richardson on court No. 3. The match started with Tilwith leading 1-0 before tying at 2-2. They remained close, tied at 3-3, but Tilwith pulled ahead to 4-3. Tyra equalized at 4-4, but Tilwith won the last two games to take the set 6-4. The freshman took a 3-0 lead in the second set, with Tyra narrowing it to 3-1. Tilwith responded to make it 4-1, and after Tyra reduced it to 4-2, Tilwith sealed the set 6-3, securing the match and extending LSU’s lead to 3-0.

Rivera battled on the No. 5 court over Leroux in the clinching match. After the set was tied at 1-1, the senior would take three consecutive games for a 3-1 lead. Although Leroux claimed another game, Rivera held firm and extended her lead to 5-2 before ultimately winning the first set 6-3. Rivera left no doubt in the final set, jumping to a 4-0 lead. Despite dropping three games late in the set, she secured another 6-3 victory to clinch the 4-0 dual match win for the Tigers.

Next up, Erickson faced Emma Tutoveanu in the No. 6 spot. After starting strong with a 2-0 lead, Erickson fell behind 3-2 but regained control to lead 5-4, but Erickson ultimately won the first set 6-4. Erickson took a 3-1 lead in the next set and extended it to 5-3. However, Tutoveanu rallied to tie it at 5-5. In a close finish, Erickson won the set 6-5, boosting the Bayou Bengals’ lead to 5-0.

Sahdiieva battled on the No. 4 court against Ali Benedetto. The senior started strong, taking a 3-0 lead and maintaining her momentum throughout the first set. Despite both players trading games, Sahdiieva secured a solid 6-3 victory in the opening set. Sahdiieva took an early 2-0 lead in the second set, but Benedetto fought back to lead 3-2. Sahdiieva regained control, going ahead 5-3. Benedetto leveled the score at 6-6, leading to a tiebreak, which the Ukrainian native won 7-6, giving LSU their final win of the day.

On the top court, Cadence Brace competed over No. 16 Amelia Honer. Brace fell behind against Honer, trailing 4-1 in the opening set. The freshman mounted a comeback to cut into the lead but fell short in the first set, 6-4. Brace took an early 4-2 lead in the second set, dropping two games to secure the second set, 6-4. In the deciding 10-point tiebreaker, Honer maintained control and won the match with a 10-3 victory in the tiebreaker.

Up Next

LSU travels to Gainesville to compete in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The team’s first match over the weekend is against Miami (Fla.) on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

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

LSU vs. UC Santa Barbara
Jan. 18, 2025
Hogan Tennis Center
LSU 6, UC Santa Barbara 1

Singles
1. #16 Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. Cadence Brace (LSU) 6-4, 4-6, 10-3
2. Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Anna Weissheim (UCSB) 7-5, 6-2
3. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) def. Tyra Richardson (UCSB) 6-4, 6-3
4. #125 Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
5. #120 Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) 6-3, 6-3
6. Kenna Erickson (LSU) def. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) 6-4, 6-5

Doubles
1. #9 Amelia Honer/Anna Weissheim (UCSB) vs. Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) 3-5, unfinished
2. Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Lucy Lu/Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 6-2
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Raphaelle Leroux/Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-2

Match Notes:
LSU 2-0
UC Santa Barbara 0-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,3,5,6,4,1)