BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 8 LSU Women’s Tennis begins its SEC campaign over Ole Miss on Sunday, Feb. 23, at the LSU Tennis Complex at 11:00 a.m. CT.
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.
LSU moved up to No. 8 in the ITA rankings which marks a program-best for an in-season ranking. The Tigers 8-1 record marks the best season start since 2021, finishing as No. 17. LSU looks to improve from their 6-7 SEC record last season, making it to the second round of the SEC Tournament after defeating No. 41 Arkansas in the first round, 4-1.
The Bayou Bengals hold an overall 27-9 singles and 17-2 doubles mark, with five singles and doubles ranked victories. LSU has clinched the doubles point in eight of nine matches.
Freshman Cadence Brace won the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 after earning three victories over ranked opponents at the ITA National Indoor Championship. Brace battled with Michigan’s ace Julia Fleigner despite going unfinished, 4-6, 6-0. The freshman earned wins over UCLA’s Kimmi Hance, 6-0, 6-2, and her first-ranked victory in Oklahoma State’s Anastasiya Komar in singles play, 6-3, 6-2. Brace is 2-2 in singles on a two-match winning streak this season.
Teaming with freshman Kayla Cross on the top doubles spot, the duo holds a 3-0 record, with each win being a ranked victory. According to the ITA, the freshman pair earned a doubles rank of No. 17.
Cross holds the highest ITA singles ranking on the team at No. 51 and was awarded the campaign’s first SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The Canadian native boasts an overall 3-0 doubles record with Brace and a 3-1 singles mark, highlighted by a resounding 6-1, 7-5 ranked win over UCLA’s Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer.
Freshman Tilwith Di Girolami, ranked No. 72, holds a team-best 6-2 singles record, including a 5-2 mark on the No. 3 court and a win at the top spot against UL-Lafayette. The Belgian native also secured a ranked victory over Oklahoma State’s Gracie Epps, 6-0, 6-2, at the ITA Indoor Championship.
Di Girolami has succeeded with senior Anita Sahdiieva on the No. 2 doubles court, ranked No. 22 according to the ITA. The pair holds a club-best 6-1 doubles mark, including ranked wins over UCLA’s Kate Fakih and Olivia Center, 6-2, and Epps and Marcela Lopez for Oklahoma State, 6-4. The senior boasts the second-best singles record on the team, with a 5-1 performance.
Rounding out doubles play, senior Gaby Rivera and sophomore Kenna Erickson have a 4-1 record at the No. 3 doubles spot, along with an additional win on the No. 2 court against Tulane. The pair clinched the doubles point against Florida in LSU’s eventual 4-0 victory over the Gators to punch their ticket to the ITA National Indoor Championships. Rivera holds a 4-2 record in singles play, while Erickson remains undefeated at 3-0, securing the team’s 4-0 victory over Tulane with her latest win.
Sophomore Kinaa Graham leads the way in ranked singles wins with a 2-1 record, highlighted by taking down Marcela Lopez of Oklahoma State, 6-3, 6-0. Furthermore, the sophomore posted the clinching singles point over Ahmani Guichard, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, in LSU’s 4-2 victory over No. 6 UCLA.
LSU has recorded 19 wins against Ole Miss in program history, with the most recent victory being a 5-2 result in 2023.
Ole Miss holds a 7-2 record this season, led by sophomore Andrea Nova with a 6-1 singles mark and senior Ludmila Kareisová at 5-2. The Rebels also feature a ranked doubles pair in No. 89 Kareisová and Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher, with a 5-1 record at the top spot. The team is coached by Mark Beyers, now in his 22nd season in Oxford.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.