No. 22 LSU Set to Battle at the ITA National Indoor Championship Qualifiers
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 22 LSU Women’s Tennis travels to Florida to compete in the ITA National Indoor Championship Qualifiers as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend, spanning from Jan. 24-26.
The Tigers will open the competition against Miami (Fla.) on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla. Depending on the result, they will take on Florida or Florida International on Jan. 26 at either 10:00 a.m. CT for consolation play or 1:00 p.m. CT for the championship bout.
LSU was drawn into Florida’s bracket as the No. 3 seed. Before the Tigers clash with Miami (Fla.), Florida takes on Florida International at 10:00 a.m. CT.
The 17th iteration of the ITA Kickoff Weekend features 56 of the nation’s top programs across 14 host sites, with four teams at each site. Teams that win both matches at each host site will advance to the ITA National Indoor Championship in Champaign and Evanston, Ill., where Northwestern and Illinois will host, taking place from Feb. 6-10.
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Miami (Fla.) enters the competition with a 0-2 record, including losses to Florida Atlantic University and FIU. The university ended last season with a 13-8 overall and 8-4 conference mark, finishing the season ranked No. 18 by the ITA.
Freshman Jaquelyn Ogunwale is responsible for Miami’s lone point of the season, defeating FAU’s No. 108 Victoria Gomez O’Hayon, 6-0, 6-3.
LSU heads to Florida after a successful opening weekend in San Diego, Calif., defeating San Diego, 5-2, and UC Santa Barbara, 6-1. The Bayou Bengals winning start marks the third straight season under head coach Taylor Fogleman to start 2-0.
The Tigers head to Gainseville hoping to book their ticket to the ITA National Indoor Championship, which last appeared in 2019. LSU looks to even the 3-4 all-time contest against Miami, the previous matchup occurring in 2014.
Last time around, LSU posted convincing victories to start the season with three freshmen headlining the top courts for the Tigers. Among them are LSU’s first spring signing, Kayla Cross, the first SEC freshman of the week, and the program’s first weekly award since April 12, 2023, when Anastasiya Komar was awarded SEC Co-Player of the Week. Cross holds a 2-1 overall record, with both wins happening in doubles and singles play with partner Cadence Brace.
Canadian native Brace headlined LSU’s fall signings and has occupied the top court in both dual matches to open the campaign. Brace scored a doubles win with Cross against San Diego, downing No. 38 Claudia de las Heras and Kailey Evans, 6-2.
Beyond Cross and Brace, freshman Tilwith Di Girolami, the second spring signing, opens the campaign with a 2-0 singles record at the No. 3 court and a 1-0 doubles mark at the No. 2 spot.
LSU also returns four starters: sophomores Kenna Erickson and Kinaa Graham and seniors Gaby Rivera and Anita Sahdiieva, all starting in winning ways to open the season.
Erickson and Rivera scored two doubles wins, 6-0 over San Diego and 6-2 over UCSB. The pair also scored three total singles points over the matches, with Rivera going 2-0.
Graham returned to action after a season-ending injury in her opening season with the Tigers. In her first match, she secured a result over San Diego’s No. 105 Hannah Read, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Sahdiieva earned three match victories to open the season, highlighted by two straight-set singles victories. The senior has struck a rapport with freshman Di Girolami, occupying the No. 2 court for the Tigers and securing their first doubles win against UCSB.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.