No. 8 LSU Off to Program-Best SEC Start, Tames Mississippi State, 4-2

STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 8 LSU moves to its best SEC start in program history as they held off a late Mississippi State rally, securing a 4-2 victory on Sunday at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville.

LSU improves to 14-1 overall and 5-0 in SEC play, while Mississippi State falls to 9-5 and 0-5 in the conference.

LSU’s 5-0 start in conference play sets a new program best, surpassing the previous 4-1 marks from 1985 and 1997. It also marks the first time the Tigers have won five consecutive conference matches in a single season since 2004.

“I am proud of the girls for earning another good SEC road win,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “Head Coach Chris Hooshyar is doing a great job rebuilding the program here, and there is no doubt they’ll be competitive in the conference very soon. I thought we got over the line in a challenging doubles point. We faced some tough moments in singles, but we know we’re capable of playing at a higher level and will use this as a learning experience to improve. It’s never easy on the road in the SEC. I’m very fortunate that we can get back home and get some rest. Now, we look forward to a tough weekend ahead, welcoming Georgia, South Carolina, and Jackson State to our home courts. We look forward to playing in front of our fans, so we need to get back healthy, re-energized, and ready to go.”

Kenna Erickson and Gaby Rivera opened the match on the third court in a battle with Jayna Clemens and Chiara Di Genova. After tying the set at 1-1, the LSU pair jumped to a 4-1 lead. Clemens and Di Genova responded by winning two straight games, but Erickson and Rivera closed out the set 6-4 by taking two of the final three games.

On the top court, No. 11 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross faced Gianna Oboniye and Athina Pitta. The freshman duo fell behind early, trailing 3-1, and later faced elimination at 5-2. Brace and Cross fought back to close the gap at 4-5 but ultimately fell short, dropping the set 6-4, suffering their first loss of the season.

Needing a result to secure the doubles point, No. 25 Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva battled Emma Cohen and Alessia Tagliente on Court 2. The LSU duo jumped to a 2-0 lead before Cohen and Tagliente leveled the set at 2-2. Di Girolami and Sahdiieva regained control, but their opponents fought back to tie it again at 3-3. The Tigers then moved to a 5-3 advantage and ultimately secured the set with a 6-4 result to clinch the doubles point for LSU.

After LSU secured the doubles point, No. 54 Brace faced her doubles opponent, Oboniye, on the top court. Trailing 3-0 in the first set, Brace was forced to retire, awarding Mississippi State its first point of the match.

 Looking to respond, No. 65 Tilwith Di Girolami faced Carolina Troiano on Court 3. Di Girolami dominated the first set, sweeping Troiano 6-0, and carried that momentum into the second, dropping just one game en route to a 6-1 victory. Her win gave LSU a 2-1 lead in the match.

On the No. 2 court, No. 63 Cross went against Tagliente. After an early 1-1 tie, Cross took control, dominating the rest of the first set for a 6-1 win. The freshman jumped to a 3-0 lead in the following set before Tagliente closed the gap to 3-2. However, Cross shut down Tagliente’s comeback attempt, winning the next three games to secure a 6-2 victory and extend LSU’s match lead to 3-1.

 Kinaa Graham opened her day on court No. 5, taking on Di Genova. Graham started strong with a 2-0 lead but dropped six straight games to lose the first set 6-2. After tying the following set at 1-1, the sophomore fell behind and could not recover, dropping the set 6-1 as LSU’s lead narrowed to 3-2.

Fighting to clinch the match victory, Erickson took on Emma Cohen on the sixth court. After falling behind 0-2 in the first set, Erickson took a 3-2 lead before Cohen evened the score at 3-3. Erickson took control, winning three straight games to take the set 6-3. In the second set, Erickson trailed 1-2 after taking the opening game but responded with a dominant run, winning five consecutive games to secure a 6-2 victory. The sophomore’s win sealed LSU’s 4-2 match result and extended her winning streak to four matches this season.

LSU returns to Baton Rouge to host Georgia on Friday, March 14, at 5:00 p.m. CT. Two days later, on Sunday, March 16, the Tigers will compete in a doubleheader at the LSU Tennis Complex, facing South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. CT, followed by Jackson State at 4:00 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.