URBANA, Ill. – With all eyes locked on court No. 5, sophomore Kinaa Graham delivered a come-from-behind victory to clinch No. 16 LSU’s 4-2 upset over No. 6 UCLA on Saturday at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Illinois.
LSU moves to 6-1, while UCLA drops to 3-2
The result marks the Tigers highest-ranked win since March 19, 2017, when they took down No. 5 Auburn 4-3.
Taylor’s Thoughts
“Today was a great team win,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “UCLA is extremely well-coached and has been a storied program for decades; I thought our ladies responded from the adversity yesterday just like I thought they would. We were excellent in doubles and carried it over to a large extent in singles. When you’re playing against other talented teams, there will be momentum shifts and some adversity that you have to deal with. However, we handled it well. I’m very happy for the girls, and today’s results prove they’re working hard. Getting a result like this is encouraging as we enter the last match of this competition.”
Doubles Display
No. 71 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross faced a formidable duo, No. 9 Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle, in the top spot. Brace and Cross took a 3-0 set lead and would only drop two games en route to a 6-2 set win.
Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva faced a highly ranked duo in No. 3, Kate Fakih and Olivia Center, on the No. 2 court. After losing the first game, the LSU duo rallied to take a 2-1 lead and won four of the last five games, finishing the match at 6-2 and clinching the doubles point for LSU.
Singles Slate
Brace began singles play over doubles foe Hance in the top spot for the Tigers. Brace blew by Hance in the first set, winning 6-0. The freshman took the first four games in the following set before dropping two, ultimately securing a 6-2 set win, giving LSU a 2-0 lead.
Cross competed against No. 17 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer on the No. 2 court. Despite dropping the first game, the Canadian native took six straight games to secure the 6-1 set win. Cross held a firm 4-1 lead in the next set. However, Lutkemeyer tested the freshman, taking four straight games to leave Cross trailing 5-4. Afterwards, Cross secured the final three games to earn a 7-5 result, awarding the Tigers a 3-0 match advantage.
In the No. 3 matchup, Di Girolami faced No. 53 Elise Wagle. The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle with four lead changes until it was tied at 5-5. Di Girolami won the next game, but the UCLA senior quickly responded to tie the set, ultimately forcing a tiebreaker, which Wagle won 7-6(3). Wagle maintained momentum, leading Di Girolami 2-1 in the second set. After exchanging games, Wagle won three of the final four games to take the set at 6-3, bringing the match score to 3-1.
Sahdiieva faced No. 56 Kate Fakih on No. 4 court. Sahdiieva fell behind early, only taking one game to drop the first set to Fakih 6-1. The Ukrainian native responded well in the second set, reversing the first set score to down Fakih 6-1. Sahdiieva dropped the first five games in the deciding set, taking two before ultimately losing the set 2-6, cutting into LSU’s match advantage at 3-2.
Graham looked to clinch the match victory for LSU over Ahmani Guichard. Graham held a 2-1 lead in the opening set before dropping the next five games to fall behind 6-2. After trading games early, with the set tied at 2-2, Graham took the next two games to threaten with a 4-2 set lead before Guichard responded by taking the next three games to leave the LSU sophomore trailing 5-4. Graham secured the next three games to win the set 7-5. Graham held a 3-1 lead to start in another closely contested set before Guichard took a 4-3 advantage. Despite falling behind, Graham took the final four of five games for a 7-5 set victory, clinching the 4-2 match win for LSU.
Up Next
LSU will face Oklahoma State in their final match of the ITA National Indoor Championship on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT at Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X, @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs. UCLA
Feb. 8, 2025
Atkins Tennis Center
No. 16 LSU 4, No. 6 UCLA 2
Singles
1. Cadence Brace (LSU) def. Kimmi Hance (UCLA) 6-0, 6-2
2. Kayla Cross (LSU) def. No. 17 A.C. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 6-1, 7-5
3. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) fell to No. 53 Elise Wagle (UCLA) 6-7(3), 3-6
4. No. 115 Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) fell to No. 56 Kate Fakih (UCLA) 1-6, 6-1, 2-6
5. Kinaa Graham (LSU) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
6. Kenna Erickson (LSU) vs. Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-3, 5-7, 2-5, DNF
Doubles
1. No. 71 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. No. 9 Kimmi Hance/Elise Wagle (UCLA) 6-2
2. Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. No. 3 Kate Fakih/Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-2
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) vs. No. 30 A.C. Lutkemeyer/Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 5-5, DNF
Match Notes:
LSU 5-1; National ranking #16
UCLA 3-1; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,5)
ITA Team Indoor Championships Day 2
[3] UCLA vs. [7] LSU