LSU Gold

No. 22 LSU Advances to ITA National Team Indoors With Win Over No. 19 Florida, 4-1

by Luke Ashley
ITA National Team Indoor Championship Homepage Box Score +0
No. 22 LSU Advances to ITA National Team Indoors With Win Over No. 19 Florida, 4-1

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 22 LSU Women’s Tennis took down No. 19 Florida, 4-1, to advance to the program’s first ITA National Women’s Indoor Championship since 2019 on Sunday at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Center.

LSU improves to 4-0, while Florida drops to 2-1.

The win secures the program’s bid to the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, which Northwestern and Illinois will host from Feb. 6 to 10.

Taylor’s Thoughts

“I am super happy for the girls and certainly proud about how they handled the match today,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “Playing Florida is always difficult as they are a well-coached team. Florida Head Coach Per Nilsson and his staff do a great job and will continue to improve as the season progresses.”

When asked about the team’s performance and the next dual match, Fogleman added, “I thought we started out incredibly well in singles and doubles. Despite slowing down in some instances, we understand that in the infancy of the season, those are things you must work through and learn. We’ll certainly be better because of playing in this environment and on the road. Next, we look forward to our first home match of the season against UL-Lafayette on Friday.”

Doubles Display

Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva continued to strike a rapport as the pair took a 4-0 lead over Talia Neislon-Gatenby and Noemie Oliveras in the No. 2 spot. Florida would take two games, but the LSU pair would keep their momentum and post a convincing 6-2 set victory.

Kenna Erickson and Gaby Rivera competed over Florida’s Emily De Oliveira and Niki Daubnerova on the No. 3 court and won three straight games to jump ahead 3-0 in the first set. The Gator pair cut into the lead until 5-4, but Erickson and Rivera kept their composure and secured the 6-4 set victory, giving the doubles point to LSU for the 1-0 match lead.

Singles Slate

Rivera faced Oliveras in singles play for LSU on the No. 6 court. After trailing 2-1, Rivera lost the first set 6-1. In the second set, Rivera again fell behind to 2-1 before Oliveras won 6-1, marking Florida’s first win, tying the dual match at 1-1.

In the next match, Di Girolami battled on the No. 3 spot over doubles foe Neilson-Gattenby. The opening set saw the freshman jump to a 3-0 lead before the Gator freshman cut into the lead to make it 3-1. Afterwards, Di Girolami took a 5-1 advantage. However, Neilson-Gattenby would gain momentum and win four straight games, tying the set at 5-5. Ultimately, the Belgian native would break away and win the set 7-5. The final set saw Di Girolami break away, opening the set at 4-1 before earning the 6-2 set and match win, taking a 2-1 match lead for LSU.

Cross was next for the Tigers over De Oliveira on the No. 2 court. The freshman posted a strong performance in the first set, only dropping one game en route to a 6-1 set victory. The second set was a back-and-forth affair until the set was knotted at 2-2. Florida’s De Oliveira would take the final four out of five games to win the set 6-3. Cross left no doubt in the deciding set, repeating her first set performance with a 6-1 win, giving LSU a 3-1 match lead.

Sahdiieva rounded out singles play for LSU as she faced Florida’s Daubnerova on the No. 4 court. The senior posted a clean sweep in the opening set, earning a 6-0 result. In a tightly contested second set, Sahdiieva found herself trailing as much as 2-4 before winning the next five out of six games to win the set 7-5 and clinch the 4-1 match win. 

Up Next

LSU competes in their first homestand against UL-Lafayette on Friday, Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, La.

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

LSU vs. Florida
Jan. 26, 2025
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
No. 22 LSU 4, No. 19 Florida 1

Singles
1. Cadence Brace (LSU) vs. Alicia Dudeney (UF) 6-1, 1-6, 2-4, DNF
2. Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Emily de Oliveira (UF) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
3. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) def. Talia NeilsonGatenby (UF) 7-5, 6-2
4. #125 Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Nikola Daubnerova (UF) 6-0, 7-5
5. Kinaa Graham (LSU) vs. Bente Spee (UF) 6-4, 6-5, DNF
6. #120 Gaby Rivera (LSU) fell to Noemie Oliveras (UF) 1-6, 1-6

Doubles
1. Kayla Cross/Cadence Brace (LSU) vs. Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee (UF) 6-6, DNF
2. Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Talia NeilsonGatenby/Noemie Oliveras (UF) 6-2
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Nikola Daubnerova/Emily de Oliveira (UF) 6-4

Match Notes:
LSU 4-0; National ranking #22
Florida 2-1; National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,3,2,4)
ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship
University of Florida
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex