BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 9 LSU fought hard against No. 1 Georgia but fell short, 4-2, on Friday evening at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge.
LSU dropped to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in SEC play, while Georgia moves to 13-1 and 6-0 in the conference.
“Tonight was a hard-fought match, and when you’re that close to the finish line, you always want to push through,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “Still, huge credit to Georgia for their strong performance. There’s a reason they’re number one in the country and have had a great deal of success to this point, this season, and over their program’s history. They’re well-coached, great players, so we have a lot of respect for them. In the same breath, we had every opportunity to win today’s match, which was unfortunate. However, results like these build character and show our program where we are and what we’re capable of, short and long-term. The girls made a fantastic effort. The whole night started in the doubles and continued in the singles; we competed hard.”
Reflecting on the match and looking ahead, Coach Fogleman praised the team’s effort and the atmosphere, saying, “Tonight was an excellent test for our ladies and an even better environment to compete in. We are grateful for the community’s support. It was an incredible night—everything you want except the win. But as we continue to grow as a program, we have to overcome challenges like these to become stronger, and I know we will. Now, we need to rest and prepare for tough matchups on Sunday against South Carolina, followed by Jackson State.”
In doubles play, the No. 25 duo of freshman Tilwith Di Girolami and senior Anita Sahdiieva began the dual match by taking on No. 70 Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata in the No. 2 spot. The LSU duo started strong and maintained their form, sweeping the set 6-0.
Looking to secure the doubles point, the No. 11 freshman duo of Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross battled with Georgia’s top pair, No. 13 Dasha Vidmanova and Mell Reasco. Brace and Cross started well, jumping to a 3-0 set lead before the Georgia pair took a game from the Tigers. Afterward, the LSU freshmen earned the final three of five games to take the set 6-3 to give LSU a 1-0 match lead. Earning the win, LSU has claimed 15 of 16 doubles points this season.
With LSU holding the lead, No. 54 Brace opened singles play on the top spot against the top singles player in the country, Georgia’s Vidmanova. Brace fell behind early and was unable to rally, dropping the first set 6-0. After briefly leveling the second set at 1-1, the freshman ultimately fell 6-1, giving Georgia its first singles point.
On Court No. 4, LSU’s Kinaa Graham took on No. 41 Aysegul Mert. Graham started the set in front at 2-1 but fell behind 3-2 before closing the gap to 4-3. However, Mert pulled away to win the first set 6-3. In the second set, the sophomore fell behind 4-0 but fought back to 5-2 before ultimately dropping the set 6-2, giving Georgia a 2-1 match lead.
Erickson was next for the Tigers against Sofia Rojas on the No. 6 spot. The sophomore got off to a strong start, jumping to a 2-0 lead, then extending to 3-1. However, Rojas responded by tying the set at 3-3 and taking the final three games to win the first set 6-3. Erickson battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the second set, eventually taking her first lead at 4-3. The back-and-forth set saw multiple ties, including 5-5 and 6-6, forcing a seven-point tiebreaker. Erickson led 4-2 early in the tiebreak but couldn’t hold off Rojas, who surged back to win the set and the match, giving Georgia a 3-1 advantage.
Needing a response, Sahdiieva competed with No. 82 Grant on the fifth spot. After tying the set at 1-1, the senior bolted to a 5-1 set advantage. Despite the margin, Grant battled back to take a 6-5 lead. Sahdiieva responded by forcing a tiebreak and edged out an 8-6 result to claim the first set 7-6(6). After taking a 3-0 lead in the second set, Sahdiieva would drop one game en route to a 6-1 win to give LSU its first singles win and alter the match score to 3-2.
Looking to rally, No. 65 Di Girolami challenged Reasco on the No. 3 court. The freshman trailed 3-0 early but found her form to tie the set 3-3, in which she took the final three of four games to claim the first set 6-4. After taking a 2-1 lead in the second set, Di Girolami fell behind 3-2 before surging for a 5-3 advantage. However, Reasco continued to fight and won the set 7-5. In the deciding set, in a back-and-forth affair until a 3-3 tie, Di Girolami fell short and dropped the set 6-3, giving Georgia the 4-2 match win.
LSU vs. Georgia
March 14, 2025
LSU Tennis Complex
No. 9 LSU 2, No. 1 Georgia 4
Singles
1. #54 Cadence Brace (LSU) fell to #1 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) 0-6, 1-6
2. #63 Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. #48 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) 6-4, 5-7, 4-5, DNF
3. #65 Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) fell to Mell Reasco (UGA) 6-4, 5-7, 3-6
4. Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to #41 Aysegul Mert (UGA) 3-6, 2-6
5. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. #82 Guillermina Grant (UGA) 7-6(8-6), 6-1
6. Kenna Erickson (LSU) fell to Sofia Rojas (UGA) 3-6, 6-7(7-4)
Doubles
1. #11 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #13 Dasha Vidmanova/Mell Reasco (UGA) 6-3
2. #25 Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. #70 Guillermina Grant/Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) 6-0
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) vs. #75 Aysegul Mert/Hayden Mulberry (UGA) 3-3, unfinished
Match Notes:
LSU 14-2; National ranking #9
Georgia 13-1; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,6,5,3)
T-3:10
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