No. 9 LSU Hosts No. 1 Georgia, No. 25 South Carolina, and Jackson State

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 9 LSU returns to the LSU Tennis Complex to welcome No. 1 Georgia on Friday, March 14, at 5:00 p.m. CT. Two days later, on Sunday, March 16, the Tigers host a doubleheader against No. 25 South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. CT, followed by Jackson State at 4:00 p.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.

Last time out, the No. 9 Tigers secured back-to-back SEC victories against Alabama and Mississippi State, improving to 5-0 in conference play—a new program-best start. LSU’s undefeated conference record surpasses the previous best 4-1 starts from 1985 and 1997. This is the first time since 2004 that the Tigers have won five consecutive conference matches in a single season.

The Bayou Bengals hold a 46-17 overall mark in singles and 29-5 in doubles, highlighted by seven ranked singles and doubles victories. The Tigers own a 7-7 singles record and a 7-4 doubles mark in ranked matchups. LSU has secured the doubles point in 14 of its 15 matches this season. The Tigers are on a nine-match winning streak dating back to the ITA National Indoor Championship from Feb. 7-9.

Freshman Cadence Brace has four wins this season on the top spot, including two victories over ranked foes. Brace entered the ITA rankings for the first time this season at No. 54, a team-leading mark. The Canadian native has earned two SEC Freshman of the Week honors, with her last coming on March 5.

Teaming up with freshman Kaya Cross in doubles, the freshmen have owned the top doubles spot, posting a 6-1 record, with a 5-0 mark over ranked pairs. Their most recent win was a 6-2 victory against Alabama’s Sara Nayar and Klara Milicevic. According to the ITA, the pair earned a No. 11 ranking.

Cross owns the second-highest ITA singles ranking on the team at No. 63. She earned her second SEC Freshman of the Week honor after her 3-1 overall record against Alabama and Mississippi State. In singles play, The Canadian standout boasts a 5-1 mark on the No. 2 spot while also earning a victory on the top spot against Ole Miss on Feb. 23. Cross is currently on a six-match winning streak in singles play, with her most recent victories coming in straight sets against Alabama’s Maria Andrienko (6-0, 6-2) and Mississippi State’s Alessia Tagliente (6-1, 6-2).

Freshman Tilwith Di Girolami, improving her ITA ranking to No. 65, leads the team with a 12-2 singles record, including an 8-2 mark on Court 3. She also picked up key wins at the No. 1 spot against UL-Lafayette on Jan. 31 and court No. 2 against Ole Miss on Feb. 23. The Belgian standout has secured two ranked wins this season, most recently defeating Tennessee’s Leyla Britez Risso, 6-2, 6-2. The freshman clinched the 4-2 dual match victory in a come-from-behind effort over Alabama’s Klara Milicevic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Di Girolami has the highest singles win streak on the squad, with a seven-match streak dating back to Feb. 9 against Oklahoma State.

Di Girolami has been a force with senior Anita Sahdiieva on the No. 2 doubles courts, where the duo earned a No. 25 ranking. The pair boasts a team-best 11-2 record, highlighted by a resounding 7-6 (12-10) tiebreaker victory over Tennessee’s Catherine Aulia and Britez Risso to clinch the doubles point in LSU’s eventual 4-0 win over the Volunteers. The duo’s most recent victory came over Mississippi State’s Emma Cohen and Alessia Tagliente, 6-4. Sahdiieva has performed well in singles, owning a 7-2 record. Her latest win came on the No. 2 court against Southern, defeating Jessica Hess, 6-1, 6-1.

Rounding out doubles play, Gaby Rivera and sophomore Kenna Erickson have a 6-2 record at the third doubles spot, along with two additional wins on the No. 2 court against Tulane on Feb. 13 and over Southern on March 2. The 8-2 record marks the team’s second-best doubles margin. Rivera posts a 5-3 record in singles play. Meanwhile, with her latest win, Erickson moves to 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in SEC play, clinching the dual match win over Mississippi State, defeating Cohen, 6-3, 6-2.

Sophomore Kinaa Graham carries a 2-1 ranked singles 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 UCLA. Graham has a 3-3 overall record on the season.

LSU has recorded a victory over Georgia in program history, along with eight wins over South Carolina and an undefeated 3-0 record against Jackson State.

No. 1 Georgia is coached by Drake Bernstein in his second season with the Bulldogs. Georgia holds a 12-1 record on the season with a 5-0 mark in league play. Georgia has four ranked players in singles: No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova, No. 41 Aysegul Mert, No. 48 Anastasiia Lopata, and No. 82 Guillermina Grant. The Bulldogs also have four ranked doubles pairs: No. 13 Mell Reasco and Vidmanova, No. 22 Grant and Mert, No. 70 Grant and Lopata, and No. 75 Hayden Mulberry and Mert.

South Carolina, ranked No. 25, is 8-5 on the season with a 3-2 record in conference play. The Gamecocks are coached by Kevin Epley, who is in his 13th season with the program. South Carolina features No. 19 Sarah Hamner, No. 92 Kaitlyn Carnicella, and No. 93 Misa Malkin. Carnicella and Hamner also hold a No. 36 rank as a duo.

Jackson State is 5-7 overall on the season with a 3-0 mark in league play. Hernan Geria coaches the program in his second season.

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