LSU Gold

No. 22 LSU Advances to the ITA National Indoor Qualifiers Championship, Downing Miami (Fla.), 4-0

by Luke Ashley
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No. 22 LSU Advances to the ITA National Indoor Qualifiers Championship, Downing Miami (Fla.), 4-0

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 22 LSU Women’s Tennis move on to the championship match for the ITA National Indoor Qualifiers after overpowering Miami (Fla.), 4-0, on Saturday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

Taylor’s Thoughts

“Miami Head Coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews has done a wonderful job with that program for several years,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “Despite the circumstances on the forfeits, I believe the girls handled themselves quite well afterward. In singles play, I believe we were better than we were against Santa Barbara in all spots.”

When asked about the championship bout against Florida, Fogleman added, “Now, we look ahead to Florida, where the girls understand they will need to perform at a high level. I know the girls are excited for the opportunity and the challenge, so we’ll rest up and give it a go against the Gators tomorrow.”

Doubles Display

Miami was unable to field three doubles teams, so LSU began doubles play with an advantage from a forfeit on court No. 3. Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva secured the doubles point for the Tigers, facing Aely Arai and Savannah Webster. Gi Girolami and Sahdiieva took the first two games against the Hurricane pair. Arai and Webster would cut into the lead, but Di Girolami and Sahdiieva would take three straight to secure the set and match with a 6-2 result, giving LSU a 1-0 match lead.

Singles Slate

Due to injuries, Miami forfeited the No. 6 singles spot to Gaby Rivera and gave the Tigers a 2-0 match lead to start singles play.

Sahdiieva faced Vargas on court No. 4 and started strong, winning five consecutive games to take a 5-0 lead. Although Vargas managed to win one game, Sahdiieva would secure the first set with a score of 6-1. In the next set, Sahdiieva found herself behind at 2-0 but rallied to take a 4-2 lead. Although Vargas worked to reduce the gap, Sahdiieva ultimately secured the set with a 6-4 victory, giving LSU a 3-0 lead.

Di Girolami faced doubles foe Arai in the No. 3 spot. The freshman took a 3-0 opening set advantage to open the contest. Arai would respond, but Di Girolami held firm, taking the first set 6-1. The freshman would open the set in front 2-0 but drop two games before taking a 3-2 lead. Di Girolami would go on and take the final three games to earn a 6-2 set victory and clinch the 4-0 match result for the Tigers.

Up Next

LSU will continue its National Indoor Championship Qualifiers play over Florida in the championship match on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 1:00 p.m. CT.

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

 LSU vs. Miami (Fla)
Jan. 25, 2025
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
No. 22 LSU 4, Miami (Fla.) 0

Singles
1.  Cadence Brace (LSU) vs Jaquelyn Ogunwale (UM) 6-2, 4-3, DNF
2. Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. No. 70 Raquel Gonzalez (UM) 6-4, 5-1
3. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) def. Aely Arai (UM) 6-1, 6-2
4. #125 Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Maria Paula Vargas (UM) 6-1, 6-4
5. Kinaa Graham (LSU) vs. Savannah Webster (UM) 6-2, 5-4, DNF
6. Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. No player (UM), win by forfeit

Doubles
1. Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. Maria Paula Vargas/Raquel Gonzalez (UM) DNF
2. Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Aely Arai/Savannah Webster (UM) 6-2
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Jaquelyn Ogunwale/Daria Volosova (UM), win by forfeit

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (); Singles (4,3)
ITA Kickoff Weekend