BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 16 LSU Women’s Tennis competes in their first home match against in-state opponent UL-Lafayette on Friday, Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, La.
Attendance at all LSU matches at the LSU Tennis Complex is free. Attendees will be required to comply with the university’s clear-bag policy.
Last Time Out
The Tigers advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships after defeating Miami (Fla.) 4-0 and Florida 4-1 in the qualifiers.
The qualifying wins marked LSU’s first bid to the championship since 2019. As a result, LSU bolstered to rank No. 16 by the ITA, the program’s highest in-season ranking since 2021.
Opponent Overview
UL-Lafayette had their first match of the season against Southeastern Louisiana on Jan. 28, winning 7-0. In program history, LSU holds a 25-0 record over the Ragin’ Cajuns, with the last meeting in 2010, winning 7-0.
Tracking The Tigers
LSU holds a perfect 9-0 doubles record and a 15-4 mark in singles play.
The Tigers are headlined by freshman Tilwith Di Girolami and senior Anita Sahdiieva, who hold a team-best 4-0 record in singles play and a 3-0 record as a doubles pair. Di Girolami clinched the 4-0 win for LSU over Miami (Fla.) with a win over Vargas, 6-1, 6-2. Meanwhile, Sahdiieva clinched the 4-1 victory over Florida, taking down Daubnerova, 6-0, 7-5.
Sophomore Kenna Erickson and senior Gaby Rivera also hold a 3-0 record in doubles play. Rivera also holds a 2-1 mark in singles play, highlighted by the clinching win over UC Santa Barbara’s Raphaelle Leroux, 6-3, 6-3.
In singles competition, freshman Kayla Cross has had a strong start to her collegiate career by competing on the No. 2 court in singles and in the top doubles spot with freshman partner Cadence Brace. Cross holds a 2-1 mark in singles and 1-0 in doubles. The freshman pair took down San Diego’s No. 38 Claudia de las Heras and Kailey Evans in their lone doubles win. Cross was awarded the SEC Freshman Player of the Week after her combined 3-1 record against San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.